BV  3785  .M7  B69  1875 

"\ 

Boyd,  Robert,  1816-18 

79. 

The  wonderful  career 

of 

Moody  and  Sankey 

■-■^6    bKGeo.  E-ferme.:^ 


^/rccA/^    Ol..<^u^ 


/l  (T^^^tyyj^  ^ 


THE   WONDERFUL    CAREER 


OP 


MOODY  AND   SANKEY, 


IN  GREA  T  BRITAIN  AND  AMERICA, 


TOGETHER  WITH 


f  |e  S^iiiils  aiiir  ®riuntrts  of  i\\\\i\i, 


A3  ILLTJSTKATED  IN  THE  LIVES  OP 

PATRIARCHS,  PROPHETS,  KINGS  AND  APOSTLl 

^^  I      DEC   5    i-/23 

Rev.  ROBERT  BOYD,  D.D.\/xv. 

EMBELLISHED  VTITH 

STEEL  PLATE  PORTRAIT  OF  Dr.  BOYD. 

"Likenesses    of    the     Amei\ican    Evangelists, 
and  several  other  engravinqs. 


NEW  YORK: 

HENRY    S.    GOODSPEED    &    COMPANY 

14  Barclay  Street. 

L.  U.  SNEAD  &  CO.,  MT.  UNION,  OHIO. 

M.  A.  PARKER  &  CO.,  Chicago. 

N.  D.  THOMPSON  k  CO.,  St.  Louis  and  Chicago. 

D.    L.    GUERNSEY,    Concobd,    N.  H. 

F.  DEWING  &  CO.,  San  Francisco,  Cal. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  In  the  year  1875, 

By  H.  S.  GOODSPEED, 

la  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  Washington,  D.C. 


PREFACE 


In  passing  through  life's  journey,  the  people  of  God  have  often 
to  sing  with  the  poet  Cowper, — 

"God  moves  in  a  mysterious  way, 
His  wonders  to  perform." 

And  happy  are  they  who  have  learned  to  trust  their  Heavenly 
Father  where  they  cannot  see  him ;  who  can  read  his  love  in 
the  most  trying  dispensations  ;  who  do  not  judge  Him  by  feeble 
sense,  but  who  know  that  when  he  blesses  he  does  so  like  a 
God,  making  the  things  that  seemed  all  against  us  work  for 
our  good ;  and  so  modifying  the  heat  of  the  furnace  of  afflic- 
tion, that  instead  of  consuming  us,  as  we  feared,  it  only  con- 
sumes our  dross. 

Hence  there  is  nothing  so  wise,  nothing  so  sweet  for  the 
Christian  to  do,  as  quietly  to  submit  himself  to  the  holy  will  of 
God.  As  a  loving  child  puts  his  hand  into  his  father's  hand, 
and  is  led  by  him  wherever  he  pleases,  so  should  we  trust  our 
Father  in  heaven.  He  may  lead  us  into  a  wilderness,  or  into  a 
garden,  by  rough  places  or  by  smooth  ;  but  it  will  be  found  to 
be  the  right  way,  while  He  is  our  guide. 

I  have  been  led  into  these  reflections  by  the  sending  forth 
of  this  new  work  from  my  pen,  which  opens  the  present  volume. 
But  a  few  years  ago  I  was  the  pastor  of  a  loving,  faithful,  and 
working  church,  in  that  most  stirring  and  bustling  city,  Chicago. 
My  congregation  was  large  and  attentive ;  conversions  were 
frequent  and  numerous ;  I  was  happy  in  ray  work,  and  my  time 


PREFACE. 

occupied  with  it  from  morning  to  night.  I  had  no  time  to 
write  for  the  public,  and  never  expected  to  be  the  author  of 
books,  but  God  laid  his  afflicting  hand  upon  me,  and  paralysis 
left  me  almost  as  helpless  as  a  child.  Oh,  it  was  a  dark  and 
trying  day  when  I  had  to  leave  my  loved  work,  and  bid  fare- 
well to  my  dear  people  ! 

Determined  to  work  as  long  as  I  could  for  my  beloved  Lord 
Jesus,  I  sent  forth  book  after  book  which  were  well  received  by 
the  Christian  public.  Soon  communications  began  to  reach  me 
of  the  good  they  were  doing.  From  the  crowded  city  and  the 
quiet  village ;  from  our  patriot  soldiers  on  the  tented  field,  and 
from  the  hospitals  filled  with  the  wounded ;  from  the  pastors  of 
churches,  and  teachers  of  Sabbath  Schools,  came  frequent  ac- 
counts of  conversions  through  my  writings.  I  now  began  to 
have  a  glimpse  of  the  reason  why  God  afflicted  me.  I  found 
that  I  was  addressing  a  much  larger  audience  than  I  had  ever 
done  before,  and  that  my  affliction,  so  far  from  hindering,  had 
greatly  increased  my  usefulness.  This  was  a  great  comfort  to 
me,  and  caused  the  song  of  gratitude  to  God  to  ring  out  of  the 
dark  night  of  my  trouble.  The  master  had  led  me  in  a  way 
that  I  knew  not,  and  to  Him  I  gave  all  the  glory. 

Then  came  the  great  Chicago  fire,  in  which  my  books  and 
the  stereotype  plates  were  destroyed,  thus  putting  my  works  out 
of  print.  This  was  again  a  trial  of  faith,  and  I  recognize  the 
goodness  of  God  that  I  have  so  soon  found  a  publisher  of  well- 
known  enterprize,  to  send  forth  all  my  works  on  the  great  er- 
rand of  preaching  Christ  crucified ;  and  I  earnestly  ask  the 
prayers  of  the  Christian  reader,  that  they  may  be  abundantly 
blessed  in  leading  souls  to  Jesus,  the  "World's  Hope,"  and  to 
build  the  fabric  of  their  trust  for  eternity  upon  "  The  Rock  of 
Ages." 

R.  B. 


DEDICATION 


TO  MY  WIFE: 

For  nearly  thirty  years  the  loved  and  loving  companion  of 
my  life;  my  faithful  helper  and  co-worker  in  the  healthy^  active^ 
and  happy  years  of  my  public  ministry;  my  constant,  patient,  and 
affectionate  nurse  in  the  years  of  my  trial  and  sufferif7gj  and  my 
ahvays  sympathizing  and  true-hearted  wife, — this  book  is  dedicated 
by  her  loving  husband, 

The  Author. 


PART    I. 


The  Trials  and  Triumphs  of  Faith. 
CONTENTS. 

Page 

I.  Abel — An  Accepted  Worshiper _i5 

II.  Enoch— The  Heavenly  Walk 26 

III.  Noah — A  Preacher  of  Righteousness 39 

IV.  Abraham — The  Friend  of   God 53 

V.  Isaac — The   Child  of  Promise 69 

VI.  Jacob — The  Prevailer  with  God 82 

VII.  Joseph — An  Example  to  Young  Men.  _ 98 

VIII.  Moses — The  Man  of  God 113 

IX.  Moses — The  Man  of  God.      (Continued.) 126 

X.  Moses — On  Mount  Sinai 140 

XI.  Moses — On  Mount  Pisgah 155 

XII.  Joshua — The  Pious  Soldier. 166 

XIII.  Job — The  Patient  Sufferer 182 

XIV.  Samuel — The  Consecrated  to  God. 199 

XV.  David — The  Royal  Prophet 2x5 

XVI.  David — The  Royal  Prophet.     (Continued.)... 2 2,1 

XVII.  Elijah — The  Tishbite -. 245 

XVIII.  Elisha — The  Prophet  of  the  Succession 262 

XIX.  Daniel — The  Prophet  of  the  Court 280 

XX.  Stephen — The  First  Christian  Martyr 300 

XXI.  Peter — The  Apostle.. _. 314 

XXII.  John — The  Apostle  and  Evangelist 329 

XXIII.  Paul — The  Apostle  of  the  Gentiles 342 

XXIV.  Paul — The  Apostle.     (Continued.) 356 


Part  I . 


Trials  and  Triumphsf  of  Faith ; 


SCRIPTURE  EXAMPLES. 


"  Followers  of  them,  who,  through  faith  and  patimco, 
inherit  the  promises." 

"  These  all  died  in  faith." 


PART    II. 


MOODY    AND    SANKEY 


HISTORY    OF  THEIR   EARLY  LIFE. 


PART    III. 


THE    WONDERFUL    CAREER 


MOODY    AND    SANKEY, 


GREA  T  BRITAIN. 


Part   IV. 


A  COMPLETE    HISTORY 

OF  THE 

CAREER  AND  WORK 

OF 

MOODY   AND    SANKEY, 

IN    AMERICA. 


THE  TRIALS  AND  TRIUMPHS 
OF   FAITH. 


CHAPTER  I. 

ABEL AN    ACCEPTED    WORSHIPER. 

The  inspired  writers  give  us  very  short  biographical  no- 
tices of  Scripture  characters,  but  very  comprehensive  and 
pointed.  They  tell  us  simply  what  they  did,  and  leave  us  to 
infer  from  that  what  they  were.  Their  virtues  wdie  not  over- 
rated, their  faults  were  not  concealed.  The  key-note  of  a 
great  character  is  often  given  in  a  few  words  or  a  single  sen- 
tence, and  the  fact  left  to  speak  for  itself. 

There  are  many  things  that  conspire  together  to  make  Abel 
a  most  notable  character;  not  only  a  most  interesting  subject 
for  our  consideration,  but  one  full  of  practical  improvement. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  first  family  that  evei  existed  on  the 
earth.  He  was  the  first  human  being  that  was  called  to  pass 
through  the  portals  of  death.  Great  is  the  harvest  which 
death  has  reaped  since,  having  made  of  our  earth  a  huge  sep- 
ulcher  as  it  revolves  around  the  sun ;  but  his  was  the  first 
human  heart  over  whose  strings  the  cold  fingers  of  death 
groped ;  the  first  whose  v/arm,  bounding  life  was  chilled  by 
his  icy  touch.  And  it  is  surely  worthy  of  remark,  that  the  first 
person  of  our  race  that  was  called  to  go  out  to  meet  the  King 
of  Terrors  was  a  young  man.  It  was  not  one  who  had  the 
frost  of  years  upon  his  head,  whose  limbs  were  tottering  and 


12  THE    WORLD  S    HOPE. 

palsied  under  the  weight  of  years,  who  was  first  taken ;  but 
one  in  the  prime  of  youthful  vigor,  and  through  whose  full 
veins  the  tide  of  life  danced  merrily.  A  terrible  rebuke  to 
those  who  are  planning  to  neglect  the  salvation  of  their  souls, 
till  the  shadows  of  old  age  pass  over  them.  Death's  first  vic- 
tim was  not  only  young,  but  such  have  been  the  vast  majority 
of  his  victims  ever  since.  And  the  first  death  in  the  world 
was  sudden.  With  the  suddenness  of  the  lightning's  flash,  with 
the  rapidity  of  the  lion's  spring,  death  came  upon  him.  The 
grim  King  sent  no  notice  of  his  approach ;  not  by  slow,  slow 
advances  did  he  attack  the  citadel  of  life ;  not  even  in  the 
dark  midnight  hour  did  he  come  ;  but  in  the  open  fields,  amid 
the  splendor  of  heaven's  light,  with  nature's  voices  of  sweetest 
music  in  his  ears,  and  the  pulse  of  life  throbbing  vigorously  in 
his  bosom,  Abel  was  stricken  down  in  death. 

But  the  best  remains  to  be  told.  The  first  man  that  died  in 
our  world  was  a  good  man.  We  learn  this,  not  by  some  flat- 
tering inscription  put  over  his  grave  by  the  hand  of  partial 
friendship,  nor  by  some  glowing  eulogy  pronounced  over  his 
dust ;  but  by  the  testimony  of  God  himself.  Before  he  died 
"  he  obtained  witness  that  he  was  righteous,  God  testifying  of 
his  gifts."  Blessed  be  God,  that  the  first  human  soul  that 
passed  from  earth  went  to  glory  !  Heaven  had  the  first  fruits. 
And  it  is  a  pleasing  reflection,  that  after  all  the  blighting, 
withering  curse  which  sin  has  brought  upon  our  world, 
vastly  more  of  the  human  family  will  be  saved  than  lost. 
More  than  one-half  of  our  race  die  in  infancy,  and  these  are 
forever  safe.  Then  there  are  the  millions  of  the  redeemed  in 
every  age — a  cloud  of  witnesses  :  and  then,  before  the  end  of 
time  the  world  will  have  its  long  Sabbath  of  holy  rest,  its  cen- 
turies of  gospel  triumph,  when  all  shall  rejoice  in  the  truth. 
Yes ;  Christ  shall  have  the  majority,  and  the  number  of  the  lost 
in  hell,  the  outcasts  from  God  through  unbelief,  shall  be  but 
smaU  compared  v/ith  the  vast  congregation  of  holy,  blood- 
washed  souls,  that  shall  be  gathered^around  him  in  heaven — a 
multitude  that  no  man  can  number.  We  thank  God  for  this 
happy  thought. 


ABEL AN    ACCEPTED    WORSHIPER.  I3 

But  the  first  man  that  died  from  this  world  was  not  only  a 
good  man,  but  a  martyr  also.  He  died  for  his  religion.  This 
vile,  wretched  business  of  religious  persecution  began  very 
early,  and  it  still  goes  on.  "  JMarvel  not,"  says  the  Master,  "  if 
the  world  hate  you."  We  are  told  to  expect  that  those  who 
are  of  the  flesh  will  persecute  those  who  are  of  the  Spirit.  The 
slaves  of  sin  have  always  hated  the  truth,  and  those  whom  it 
made  free.  The  voice  of  good  men  testifying  for  God  tor- 
ments their  consciences ;  and  they  think  that  the  quickest  way 
to  silence  is  to  kill  them.  Blows,  not  arguments ;  stripes,  not 
logic  ;  brute  force,  not  persuasion,  are  the  weapons  which  error 
delights  to  employ.  They  are  carnal  v/eapons,  not  spiritual ; 
weapons  forged  in  hell,  not  drawn  from  the  polished  armory  of 
heaven. 

One  thing,  however,  that  has  troubled  persecutors  in  every 
age  is,  that  though  they  can  kill  good  men,  they  cannot  kill 
their  principles.  The  man  dies,  but  the  truths  he  uttered  live 
on,  all  the  brighter  and  the  stronger  because  of  his  death. 
Why  did  Cain  kill  Abel  ?  God  tells  us  that  it  was  "  because 
his  own  works  were  evil,  and  his  brother's  righteous."  But  he 
did  not  get  rid  of  the  troublesome  protest  of  his  brother's 
principles  by  killing  him.  God  said,  "  The  voice  of  thy 
brother's  blood  calleth  to  me  from  the  ground."  And  it  not 
only  called  to  God,  but  to  men ;  and  his  voice  has  sounded 
down  through  the  ages,  and  reverberated  through  the  world, 
ever  since.  "He  being  dead  yet  speaketh."  He  never  spoke 
so  pointedly  and  eloquently  in  favor  of  God's  grace,  as  when 
wrapped  in  his  bloody  shroud  he  lay  in  his  grave.  He  then 
spoke  with  a  voice  potent  to  touch  the  hearts  of  men,  and 
which  the  earth  and  the  sod  which  covered  his  remains  could 
not  stifle.  So  it  is  ever.  Truth  persecuted  advances  more 
rapidly  and  spreads  like  a  prairie  fire  before  a  sweeping 
tempest.  God  makes  the  vrrath  of  man  to  praise  Him,  and 
"the  blood  of  the  martyrs  becomeK:iphe  seed  of  the  Church." 

Abel  was  the  first  to  test  the  pov\'er  of  the  covenant  of  grace 
to  carry  the  soul  through  the  awful  realities  of  death.  On  the 
very   spot  where   sin  had    shown  its    deformed  visage,  grace 


14 


THE.  WORLD  S    HOPE. 


planted  its  holy  standard  and  obtained  a  victory.  It  began 
its  work  of  restoration  on  the  very  soil,  in  the  same  family 
circle,  where  the  curse  and  the  ruin  of  sin  had  fallen.  Be- 
fore the  sinner  is  driven  out  of  Eden,  the  scene  of  his  holiness 
and  his  happiness,  and  also  the  scene  of  his  sin  and  his  dis- 
grace ;  the  promise  of  grace  comes  to  him.  Not  that  God's 
grace  only  began  when  man  sinned.  No,  it  was  from  all  eter- 
nity: like  the  life  of  Jehovah  it  had  no  beginning.  But  when 
man  sinned,  it  began  to  show  itself.  Man's  sin  called  out  and 
made  known  what  had  forever  existed  in  the  divine  mind. 
And  wondrous  grace  met  man  just  in  the  depth  of  his  great 
need. 
,  It  is  ever  thus.  If  sin  abounds,  grace  much  more  abounds. 
The  sinner  may  sink  down,  down  to  great  depths  of  sin  and 
degradation  ;  but  he  can  find  that  the  arms  of  mighty  grace 
are  still  under  him  to  lift  him  up,  if  he  depends  thereon.  This 
grace  met  Paul  in  the  midst  of  his  bloody  persecution.  It  met 
the  poor,  guilty  jailor  in  the  midst  of  his  cruelty  to  the  Lord's 
servants.  It  went,  with  the  pleadings  of  love,  to  the  Jerusalem 
sinners,  with  their  hands  red  with  the  blood  of  the  Holy  and 
Just  One.  It  does  not  stand  on  a  pinnacle  of  proud  dignity 
and  wait  for  the  sinner's  return,  but  it  goes  to  the  lowest 
depths  to  seek  and  save. 

It  is  the  very  nature  of  divine  grace  to  manifest  itself.  Just 
as  naturally  as  the  sun  pours  out  his  bright  and  warming 
beams,  or  as  the  full  fountain  pours  out  its  sparkling  waters, 
so  does  Divine  love  break  out  in  blessings  upon  our  race.  It 
is  of  the  very  nature  of  God  to  love  ;  but  infinite  wisdom  goes 
along  with  that  love,  selecting  the  time  and  the  place  and  the 
way  in  which  this  grace  was  to  be  displayed.  It  is  a  foolish 
question  :  Could  not  God  have  appointed  some  other  way  to 
save  sinners  than  through  the  death  of  his  Son  }  No.  The 
very  fact  that  infinite  love  and  wisdom  selected  that  o?ie  way^ 
sets  aside  every  other.  It  is  the  master-piece  of  God ;  and 
much  as  it  has  done  for  our  world  already,  it  is  yet  to  do  much 
more.  Much  as  we  have  seen  of  it  at  the  foot  of  the  cross, 
we  will  see  much  more  at  the  foot  of  the  throne.     There  it  will 


ABEL AN    ACCEPTED    WORSHIPER.  I5 

meet  us  with  new  displays  of  lovCj  exceeding  abundantly 
above  all  that  we  can  ask  or  think.  We  shall  then  be  able  to 
comprehend  more  fully  the  wonders  of  sovereign  grace ;  but 
after  it  crowns  and  enthrones  us,  we  will  still  have  to  say,  "  It 
passeth  knowledge." 

It  is  wonderful  that  there  is  still  such  a  tendency  in  the  sin- 
ner's heart  to  put  merit  in  the  place  of  grace,  man's  shabby 
work  in  the  place  of  Christ's  glorious  work.  This  is  man  re- 
sorting to  mere  human  quackery,  instead  of  going  to  the  balm 
of  Gilead,  that  alone  brings  health  and  healing  to  the  soul. 
There  is  but  one  thing  that  can  save  a  soul,  and  nothing  but 
that,  nothing  before  that,  nothing  besides  that,  can  save ;  and 
that  is  faith  in  Jesus  as  the  sacrifice  for  sin.  It  was  by  be- 
lieving in  this  that  Abel  was  saved ;  and  you,  my  reader,  can 
only  be  saved  in  the  same  way.  O  the  glory,  the  sweetness, 
the  nearness  of  this  free  grace !  It  is  near  us  all,  free  to  us  all, 
and  none  are  excluded  but  those  that  exclude  themselves. 
Take  a  firm  hold  of  Christ  by  the  hand  of  faith,  and  your 
heart  will  be  filled  with  what  Samuel  Rutherford  called  "  a 
young  heaven."  A  gentleman  tells  us  that  he  asked  a  little 
girl  of  only  five  years,  "Are  you  a  sinner.?"  "No,  sir,"  she 
promptly  replied.  "  But,"  said  he,  "  have  you  never  done  any- 
thing that  was  wrong  V  "  O  yes,  a  great  many  times."  "  How, 
then,  can  you  say  that  you  are  not  a  sinner.?"  "  It  is  tookeii 
away,''  was  her  reply,  "  Who  has  taken  it  away  ?"  he  asked. 
Her  reply  was,  "I  have  trusted  in  Christ."  None  could  have 
given  a  clearer  and  more  intelligent  idea  of  the  plan  of  sal- 
vation. 

Reader,  you  are  now  enjoying  your  day  of  grace.  Like  an 
angel  of  mercy  it  walks  abroad  and  in  tones  sweet  and  clear, 
sounds  out  the  story  of  God's  love.  Here  and  there  some 
perishing  sinner  believes  the  message  and  is  saved.  Nov/  it  is 
a  persecuting  Saul,  then  a  backsliding  Peter.  At  one  time  it  is 
a  doubting  Thomas,  while  at  another  it  is  an  honest  inquirer 
like  Cornelius.  But  whether  it  was  a  proud  ruler  or  an  outcast 
woman,  a  humble  publican,  or  a  dying  thief — in  the  fullness  of 
Christ's  love  there  was  room  for  them  all.     The  best  robe  is 


Id  THE    WORLD'S    HOPE. 

put  upon  the  wretched  wanderer,  and  he  is  welcomed  home  as 
a  fellow-heir  with  Christ.  Then  the  believer  can  adopt  the 
language  of  an  old  author,  "  My  soul  is  like  a  hungry  and 
thirsty  child,  and  I  need  His  love  and  consolation  for  my  re- 
freshment ;  I  am  a  wandering  and  lost  sheep,  and  I  need  Him 
as  a  good  and  faithful  Shepherd ;  my  soul  is  like  a  frightened 
dove  pursued  by  the  hawk,  and  I  need  His  wounds  for  a 
refuge ;  I  am  a  feeble  vine,  and  I  need  His  cross  to  lay  hold 
of  and  wind  myself  about ;  I  am  a  sinner,  and  I  need  His 
righteousness  ;  I  am  naked  and  bare,  and  need  His  holiness 
and  innocence  for  a  covering ;  I  am  in  trouble  and  alarm,  and 
I  need  His  solace ;  I  am  ignorant,  and  I  need  His  teaching ; 
simple  and  foolish,  and  I  need  the  guidance  of  His  Holy 
Spirit.  When  I  am  forsaken.  He  must  be  my  support ;  when 
dying,  my  life ;  when  mouldering  in  the  grave,  my  resurrection. 
Well,  then,  I  will  part  with  all  the  world  and  all  that  it  con- 
tains, rather  than  with  Thee,  my  Saviour." 

We  desire  now  to  hx  attention  upon  the  most  important 
point  in  the  history  of  Abel,  and  that  is,  that  sinner  as  >e  was 
he  was  an  accepted  worshiper  by  the  holy  God.  "  The  Lord 
had  respect  unto  Abel  and  his  offering;  but  unto  Cain  and  to 
his  offering  he  had  not  respect."  In  these  two  brothers  there 
was  a  vast  difference — a  difference  almost  as  great  as  between 
light  and  darkness,  as  between  an  angel  and  a  fiend.  But  in 
what  did  it  consist  ?  Not  of  anything  natural  to  them,  nor  in 
their  outward  circumstance.  In  these  respects  they  were  alike. 
They  were  born  of  the  same  parents,  brought  up  in  the  same 
family,  heard  the  same  instructions,  were  surrounded  with 
the  same  circumstances,  had  naturally  the  same  depraved 
hearts,  and  were  both  sinners  before  God.  Yea,  up  to  a  cer- 
tain point,  their  very  religion  was  alike.  They  both  recognized 
the  Being  of  a  God.  They  both  acknowledged  the  truth  that 
God  should  be  worshiped,  and  that  he  has  imperative  claims 
upon  us  and  upon  all  that  we  possess. 

But  here  the  difference  between  the  two  becomes  very  great. 
The  one  came  to  God  in  the  way  of  God's  appointment,  and 
the  other  did  not.     The  difference  between  them  lay  not  in 


ABEL AN    ACCEPTED    WORSHIPER.  I7 

anything  in  the-ir  natural  characters,  but  in  the  sacrifices  pre- 
sented. "  By  faith  Abel  offered  unto  God  a  more  excellent 
sacrifice  than  Cain  ;"  so  we  see  it  was  not  something  in  the 
offerer,  but  in  the  offering,  that  made  the  one  be  accepted  and 
the  other  rejected.  Cain  came  to  offer  to  God  the  fruit  of  a 
sin-cursed  earth,  with  no  shed  blood  to  remove  that  curse.  By 
faith  Abel  grasped  the  great  truth  that  "without  the  shedding 
of  blood  there  could  be  no  remission  of  sin."  He  saw  that 
he  was  a  sinner,  and  that  the  wages  of  sin  was  death.  He  saw, 
therefore,  death  and  the  terrible  curse  standing  between  him 
and  communion  with  his  God  ;  and  in  his  offering  he  brought  a 
sacrificed  life  to  meet  the  claims  of  God's  insulted  purity. 
Through  the  dying  struggles  of  the  lamb  that  he  brought, 
through  the  blood  that  streamed  forth  from  the  victim,  he 
looked  away  by  faith  to  Calvary,  and  saw,  but  dimly  it  may 
be,  the  Saviour  dying  for  hirn.  And  hence  he  had  the  witness 
that  he  was  righteous  and  that  his  worship  was  accepted ;  not 
because  of  anything  good  in  him,  but  simply  because  of  the 
goodness  of  the  medium  through  which  he  approached.  It 
was  the  heaven-appointed  medium. 

We  see,  then,  that  the  great  cardinal  truth  upon  which  man's 
salvation  has  turned,  ever  since  he  became  a  sinner,  is  the 
shed  blood  of  Jesus — a  sinless  victim.  When  Christ  entered 
our  world,  it  would  not  have  been  enough  that  he  lived  a  sin- 
less life,  that  he  preached  pure,  heavenly  truth,  that  he 
healed  the  sick,  and  brightened  his  pathway  with  the 
most  God-like  benevolence ;  all  these  would  not  have 
constituted  him  a  Saviour.  To  be  a  Saviour  for  sinners  he 
must  die  upon  the  cross ;  for  it  was  his  death  that  rent  the 
veil  that  hung  between  man  and  his  God  ;  and  that  prevented 
all  approach  of  the  guilty  creature  to  the  infinitely  holy  Cre- 
ator.    His  blood  alone  cleanses  from  all  sin. 

Here  was  the  great  mistake  of  Cain.  He  came  with  an  un- 
bloody sacrifice;  merely  the  fruit  of  the  earth  that  had  the 
curse  and  stain  of  sin  upon  it.  He  came  with  it  proudly  as 
something  that  he  had  toiled  for,  and  as  a  gift  that  would  se- 
cure the  favor  of  God.     "  God  is  not  worshiped  with  men's 


1 8.  TPiE  world's  hope. 

hands,  as  though  he  needed  anything."  No  ;  the  claims  of  in- 
finite justice,  the  demands  of  holy  law,  cannot  be  met  by  the 
sweat  of  the  sinner's  brow,  or  the  toil  of  his  hands ;  he  has 
nothing  to  offer  God  which  he  has  not  first  received  from  Him ; 
and  so  there  can  be  no  merit.  Man,  in  the  pride  of  his  heart, 
would  like  to  have  the  flattering  unction  laid  to  his  soul  that  he 
can  confer  some  favor  upon  God ;  that  he  can  make  Jehovah 
sometimes  the  receiver,  not  always  the  giver.  But  he  seeth  such 
proud  souls  afar  off;  he  rejects  with  indignation  their  attempts 
to  bribe  him — their  offerings  and  their  pretended  worship.  "  If 
I  were  hungry  I  would  not  tell  thee." 

And  yet  this  Cain  worship  has  been,  and  still  is,  the  fashiona- 
ble, popular  religion  of  the  world.  No  religionist  has  ever  had 
so  many  followers  as  Cain.  Every  false  religious  system  that 
has  ever  appeared  in  the  world  has  gone  upon  this  principle, 
that  man  can  by  his  own  gifts  and  deeds  please  God  and  secure 
his  favor.  Some  of  these  systems  of  error  may  be  more  gross 
and  degrading  than  others  ;  but  in  this  they  all  agree,  that  in 
their  own  prayers,  their  tears  and  repentance,  their  works  and 
sacrifices,  their  alms  and  good  deeds  must  lie  their  chief  hope 
of  salvation.  Some  of  them,  after  doing  the  best  that  they  can 
for  themselves,  will  speak  about  Jesus  being  a  helper  to  make 
up  their  deficiencies  ;  but  to  depend  upon  Christ  alone,  to  trust 
all  on  grace,  as  revealed  in  the  gospel,  is  a  doctrine  that  makes 
them  look  like  Cain,  of  whom  it  is  said,  "  he  was  very  wroth, 
and  his  countenance  fell." 

Here  we  see  that  it  was  not  a  mere  arbitrary  act  on  the  part 
of  God,  to  reject  the  sacrifice  of  the  one  brother,  and  to  accept 
the  other.  There  was  a  good  reason  for  it.  The  one  adopted 
God's  plan  of  acceptance,  the  other  clung  to  one  of  his  own. 
The  one  was  filled  with  peace  and  love  to  God;  the  other 
was  filled  with  wrath  and  enmity.  The  one  went  bound- 
ing into  the  presence  of  God  with  joyful  assurance;  the 
other  went  out  from  God's  presence  wi'th  a  brow  dark  as  a 
thunder-cloud.  Cain's  religion  had  a  bad  foundation  ;  it  rested 
on  human  merit.  What,  then,  could  be  expected  from  it  but 
misery  and  death.?     Abel's  reUgion  rested  on    the  merits  of 


ABEL AN    ACCEPTED    WORSHIPER.  I9 

Christ ;  and  it  secured  to  him,  therefore,  all  the  fullness  of  God. 
In  short,  the  whole  difference  might  be  summed  up  in  one 
word :  the  one  had  faith  and  the  other  had  not.  To  some  this 
may  seem  a  very  small  matter,  but  in  the  sight  of  God  it  was 
everything.  And  in  matters  of  religion  the  question  is  not 
what  will  suit  my  notions,  or  what  will  please  men ;  but 
what  will  please  the  Great  Judge  with  whom  we  have  all 
to  do .''  If  all  the  world  was  pleased  with  us,  and  the  most 
learned  critics  of  the  world  united  in  calling  our  theory 
of  religion  rational,  and  intellectual,  and  the  very  embodi- 
ment of  all  wisdom,  what  would  it  avail  if,  when  the  great 
testing  time  came,  God  should  thunder  out,  "  I  know  you 
not" — "Depart  from  me!"  Now,  we  are  expressly  told,  that 
"  without  faith  it  is  impossible  to  please  God  ;  "  and  so  those 
who  "  go  in  the  way  of  Cain"  must  perish.  Faith  in  what 
God  said  made  Abel  a  child  of  God — a  favorite  of  heaven ; 
unbelief  made  Cain  an  outcast  and  a  cast-away  from  his  Lord's 
presence. 

It  may  be  asked.  How  did  Abel  come  to  know  so  well  the 
plan  of  salvation  }  I  answer,  that  faith  cometh  by  hearing,  and 
hearing  by  the  word  of  God.  His  faith  rested  where  the  faith 
of  all  saints  in  all  ages  has  rested,  on  God's  promise.  When 
Adam  sinned,  dark  terror  took  hold  of  his  mind ;  and,  to  show 
how  far  he  had  fallen,  he  sought  to  flee  from  the  glance  of  the 
Omniscient  eye  !  Dark  suspicion,  and  remorse,  and  shame,  all 
wrought  together  to  trouble  and  distract  his  soul,  as  ocean  is 
lashed  into  a  fury  by  tempests.  The  thought  of  God's  pres- 
ence was  now  as  painful  to  him  as  it  had  once  been  delightful ; 
and  the  chief  wish  of  his  soul  was  to  live  as  far  from  God  as 
possible — in  a  Godless  state,  in  a  Godless  world.  But  God 
follows  the  fleeing  rebel ;  not  with  thunderbolts  of  wrath,  but 
with  words  of  grace  and  promise.  The  promise  of  a  coming 
Saviour  was  given,  who,  through  suffering,  was  to  bruise  the 
head  of  the  serpent. 

It  has  been  truly  said,  "  This  was  but  a  dim  and  partial  rev- 
elation. It  was  the  first  ray  of  returning  light.  It  was  not  the 
sun, — that  was  not  to  rise  for  ages, — neither  was  it  the  morn. 


20  THE    WORLD'S    HOPE. 

It  was  only  the  first  streak  of  brightness  upon  the  overhanging 
clouds.  It  foretold  the  dawn ;  it  was  the  forerunner  of  the  sun. 
The  clouds  did  forthwith  depart,  the  curse  did  not  leave  the 
earth,  man's  restoration  was  not  complete ;  but  the  process  was 
begun  by  which  all  these  would  be  accomplished.  Yes,  we  can 
see  that  all  the  elements  of  the  glad  tidings  of  the  Gospel  were 
wrapped  up  in  this  promise.  The  coming  deliverer  was  to  be 
a  man,  born  of  a  woman ;  and  yet,  he  was  evidently  to  be 
something  more  than  man,  for  he  was  to  be  the  deliverer  of  the 
race  and  the  destroyer  of  Satan.  The  Saviour  was  to  be  a 
sufferer,  and  yet  to  come  off  a  conqueror ;  he  was  to  meet  with 
enmity,  bitter  and  relentless  ;  was  to  engage  in  a  conflict,  and 
in  that  conflict  was  to  be  wounded;  and  through  this  very 
wounding  victory  was  to  come.  This  promise  was  but  dim, 
but  along  with  it  sacrifices  were  established ;  and  the  one  cast 
light  upon  the  other.  The  altar  stood  side  by  side  with  the 
promise ;  and  what  was  seen  with  the  eyes  helped  to  explain 
what  was  heard  with  the  ears.  There  was  the  flaming  sword, 
and  nothing  but  blood  was  able  to  turn  aside  i^ts  vengeful  edge  ; 
and  right  before  that  sword  of  justice  lay  the  bleeding  victim 
of  sacrifice  upon  the  altar ;  all  pointing  to  a  time  when  the 
sword  of  Divine  Justice  would  be  quenched  in  the  blood  of 
Jesus  on  the  hill  of  Calvary. 

These  are  the  great  truths  which  Abel  learned  and,  what  is 
better,  which  he  practiced.  Doubtless  Cain  liad  the  same  op- 
portunities to  know  the  truths  which  his  brother  possessed ; 
but  unbelief  shut  up  his  heart  against  them.  He  was  not  the 
victim  of  an  arbitrary  sovereignty,  that  took  one  and  rejected 
another ;  without  any  good  reason.  It  is  true  that  one  was 
taken  and  the  other  was  left ;  but  it  was  then  as  it  is  now,  one 
was  taken  because  he  had  faith  in  Christ,  and  the  other  was 
left  because  of  his  unbelief.  The  Divine  Master  with  whom 
we  have  to  do  is  no  respecter  of  persons  ;  but  He  has  great 
respect  to  the  humble  in  heart,  and  takes  up  his  abode  with 
those  who  lovingly  confide  in  his  word. 

The  great  difference  between  the  two  brothers  as  worship- 
ers, reminds  us  forcibly  of  similar  cases  occurring  many  cen- 


ABEL AN    ACCEPTED    WORSHIPER.  21 

turies  later.  Take  the  case  of  the  Pharisee  and  the  Publican, 
who  went  up  to  the  temple  to  pray,  in  our  Lord's  days  upon 
earth.  What  a  contrast  between  these  two  men  !  "  One  nearer 
to  the  altar  stood,  the  other  to  the  altar's  God."  The  one,  full 
of  pride  and  vain  glory,  comes  to  tell  the  Lord  what  a  good 
man  he  is ;  the  other,  emptied  of  self  and  utterly  stripped  of 
all  human  dependence,  comes  to  cast  himself  on  God's  mercy 
alone.  The  one  comes  to  prove  himself  the  chief  of  Phari- 
sees ;  the  other,  to  confess  himself  the  chief  of  sinners.  The 
one  comes  to  vindicate  himself  and  condemn  his  fellow  wor- 
shiper; the  other  comes  to  condemn  himself  and  vindicate 
God.  The  one  goes  up  to  a  great  height  of  self-glorification,  by 
which  he  is  only  sinking  into  hell ;  the  other  goes  down  to  a 
great  depth  of  self-abasement,  by  which  he  rises  to  heaven. 
And  we  need  not  wonder  that  when  the  hour  of  worship  was 
over,  the  one  went  down  to  his  home  a  child  of  wrath,  an  heir 
of  hell ;  while  the  other  went  down  to  his  house  justified,  a 
child  of  God  and  an  heir  of  eternal  glory. 

We  see  the  same  contrast  presented  in  the  case  of  the  two 
thieves  upon  the  cross.  They  both  heard  the  words  of  truth 
that  Jesus  spoke  upon  the  cross.  They  were  both  equally  near 
to  Him  in  the  local  sense  of  the  term.  They  were  both  sin- 
ners, on  the  verge  of  eternity,  their  souls  exposed  to  the  same 
peril.  They  were  in  exactly  the  same  outward  circumstances ; 
had  the  same  opportunities  of  being  saved.  Yet  one  begins  to 
pray,  the  other  to  blaspheme.  One  reviles  Christ,  the  other 
confesses  him.  One  vindicates  our  Lord's  innocence,  the  other 
joins  with  the  mocking  crowd  against  him.  In  short,  the  one 
believes  in  our  Lord's  power  to  save  him,  his  prayer  being  the 
prayer  of  faith,  while  the  other  continues  in  unbelief  and  sin. 
The  result  is,  that  the  one  dies  with  the  sound  of  pardon  and 
acceptance  ringing  in  his  ears  and  comforting  his  soul,  while 
the  other  dies  as  he  lived,  a  stranger  to  God  and  holiness. 

How  evident,  then,  it  is,  that  persons  enjoying  the  same  priv- 
ileges, who  have  listened  to  the  san^.e  preaching,  for  whom  the 
same  fervent  prayers  have  been  offered,  who  have  been  ten- 
derly nurtured  in  the  same  pious  family,  and  passed  through 


22  THE    world's    HOPE. 

the  same  glorious  revivals ;  may  at  last  be  separated  from  each 
other,  far  as  heaven  is  from  hell.  Yes,  persons  may  perform 
the  same  outwardly  religious  acts  ;  and  yet,  what  is  piety  in 
one  is  profanity  in  another,  because  of  the  state  of  their  hearts. 
The  same  holy  words  may  be  uttered,  the  same  outward  relig- 
ious acts  observed  ;  and  yet,  what  is  spiritual  life  to  one  may  be 
death  to  another.  To  the  one  the  gospel  is  the  savor  of  life 
unto  life,  and  to  another  of  death  unto  death.  Just  as  the 
Egyptians  went  down  into  the  same  sea,  and  by  the  same  path, 
as  the  Israelites;  but  what  proved  life  and  salvation  to  the 
people  of  God  proved  death  and  destruction  to  their  enemies. 

The  Apostle  Paul  makes  a  statement  concerning  Abel  which, 
being  of  general  application  to  all  men,  is  very  impressive : 
"He  being  dead  yet  speaketh."  Men  are  apt  to  think  that 
when  one  has  closed  his  eyes  upon  life  and  his  body  is  covered 
up  in  the  bosom  of  mother  earth,  this  is  the  end  of  his 
influences  and  acts  below,  and  that  henceforth  he  is  as  if  he 
had  never  been.  But  this  is  a  great  mistake.  No  matter  ho\V 
humble  or  how  exalted  ;  whether  he  acted  in  the  eyes  of  a 
single  family,  or  in  the  eyes  of  the  nations  of  the  world  ; 
whether  he  spoke  to  a  few  hearers  from  his  chair  at  his  own 
fireside,  or  from  the  most  exalted  throne  on  earth ;  his  words 
will  sound  down  through  the  ages,  as  we  have  heard  voices 
echoing  amid  the  mountain  gorges,  or  reverberating  from  sum- 
mit to  summit.  "  None  of  us,"  says  Paul,  "  liveth  to  himself." 
That  is,  others  must  be  affected  by  our  life  either  for  good 
or  evil.  And  so,  "  no  man  dieth  to  himself."  Centuries  after 
we  are  dead,  there  will  be  souls  made  happy  or  miserable,  saved 
or  lost,  through  the  influences  we  started  before  we  died.  This 
would  be  readily  acknowledged  in  the  case  of  great  and  dis- 
tinguished men,  who  have  filled  the  world  with  their  fame  ;  and 
especially  those  v»'hose  printed  words  survive  them,  and  influ- 
ence for  good  or  evil  their  numerous  readers.  But  it  is  equally 
true,  though  on  a  smaller  scale,  with  the  most  obscure.  We 
cannot  live  without  touching  strings  of  influence  that  reach 
into  eternity. 

What  vast  importance  does  this  thought  impart  to  life  !    Life 


ABEL AN    ACCEPTED    WORSHIPER.  23 

would  be  but  an  empty,  vain,  paltry  thing,  if  divorced  from 
eternity.  But  when  we  know  that  all  we  think,  and  say,  and 
do,  all  that  we  enjoy  and  suffer,  all  that  elevates  us  with 
hope  or  depresses  us  with  sorrow,  all  our  calms  and  our  storms, 
our  weariness  and  our  rest,  are  having  a  direct  bearing  upon 
our  own  everlasting  state,  and  that  of  others ;  how  does  life 
loom  up  into  an  importance  that  overshadows  all  worlds  !  We 
say  it  is  a  solemn  thing  to  die,  but  it  is  a  thousand  times  more 
solemn  to  live.  How  we  shall  die,  and  where  we  shall  be, 
millions  of  years  from  now,  are  dependent  on  the  use  we  make 
of  the  frail  thing  we  now  call  life.  We  are  now  gathering  up 
the  elements  of  blessing  or  woe  in  which  we  are  to  be  wrapped 
when  the  sun  shall  have  shot  his  last  ray,  and  all  the  retinue 
of  stars  shall  have  expired  in  endless  night.  In  this  view  of  it, 
life  is  a  priceless,  glorious  gift,  but  has  hanging  upon  its  slen- 
der thread  the  most  tremendous  consequences. 

If  we  must  speak  after  death,  we  should  so  live  that  we  shall 
speak  for  God  and  for  the  good  of  souls.  And  we  should 
welcome  any  trial  that  God  sends,  that  will  enable  us  to  do  so 
more  effetctively.  Hundreds  of  years  ago  an  old  Puritan  min- 
ister, while  under  affliction,  wrote  a  little  book  called  the 
"Bruised  Reed/' which  was  the  means  of  the  conversion  of 
Richard  Baxter.  Baxter's  "Call  to  the  Unconverted,"  led  to 
the  conversion  of  Philip  Doddridge.  His  "  Rise  and  Progress 
of  Religion  in  the  Soul,"  led  to  the  conversion  of  W^ilberforce, 
and  his  "  Practical  View  of  Christianity,"  was  much  blessed  to 
Dr.  Chalmers,  of  Scotland,  whose  influence  now  is  world  wide. 
When  the  Lord  drove  the  plowshare  of  affliction  through  that 
old  Puritan's  heart,  turning  up  to  his  view  its  hidden  evils,  and 
giving  him  a  deeper  sympathy  with  God  in  the  great  work  he 
is  carrying  on,  little  did  he  realize  the  great  harvest  of  glory 
that  was  to  redound  to  God  by  such  painful  discipline.  But 
he  sees  it  now.  Exalted  far  above  the  region  of  sorrow  and 
strife  and  sin,  he  sees  the  dealing  of  the  Lord  in  the  light  of 
his  love  ;  and  knows  that  "  He  hath  done  all  things  well." 

It  has  been  a  wonder  to  many,  why  Abel,  and  good  men  like 
him  ever  since,  have  been  permitted  to  suffer  affliction.     But 


24 


THE    WORLD  S    HOPE. 


these  have  been  intended  for  their  personal  good,  and  to  make 
them  useful  to  others,  through  all  eternity.  Like  to  yonder 
stream  rushing  on,  free  and  untrammeled  among  the  mountains, 
or  through  the  veins  of  the  earth ;  but  there  is  nothing  to  dis- 
tinguish it  from  any  other  stream  of  common  water,  till  one 
day  it  strikes  in  its  course  some  sanative  mineral,  by  which  it 
has  a  healing  property  imparted  to  it,  that  gives  it  a  world- 
v/ide  fame  and  brings  to  it  thousands  of  invalids  to  rejoice  in 
its  health-giving  virtues.  Thus  many  now  in  glory  are  not 
only  thanking  God  personally  for  their  afflictions,  but  others 
who  have  been  saved  through  their  instrumentality,  are  helping 
them  to  swell  their  song  of  praise.  They  now  see,  with  David, 
that  it  was  good  for  them  that  they  were  afflicted  ;  and  are 
ready  to  say  with  an  old  writer,  "  O  healthy  sickness  !  O  com- 
fortable sorrows !  O  gainful  losses  !  O  enriching  poverty  ! 
O  blessed  day  that  ever  I  was  afflicted  !" 

Dear,  unconverted  reader,  have  you  pious  friends  in  heaven  ? 
Like  Abel,  they  being  dead  are  yet  speaking  to  you.  With 
them  life's  weary  battle  is  over,  and  well  over.  AVandering 
by  the  banks  of  the  river  of  life,  or  walking  the  golden  streets 
of  the  New  Jerusalem,  they  are  able  to  look  over  the  past,  and 
with  quickened  memory  to  bring  up  scene  after  scene  through 
which  they  have  struggled  their  weary  way.  There  is  that 
pious  mother  that  so  often  prayed  for  you  ;  that  godly  father 
that  counseled  you ;  that  sabbath-school  teacher  that  so  ear- 
nestly sought  to  lead  your  young  feet  into  the  ways  of  the 
Lord,  and  that  faithful  pastor  under  whose  powerful  appeals 
of  love  you  so  long  sat  as  a  hearer.  These  all  speak  to  you 
to-day.  They  plead  with  you  now.  They  urge  you  to  flee 
from  the  wrath  to  come.  They  tell  you  of  the  v/illingness  of 
that  Jesus  to  save  you,  whose  unclouded  glory  they  now  be- 
hold. They  tell  you  that  His  blood  still  speaks  better  things 
than  the  blood  of  Abel-  —speaks  of  mercy  and  love.  O  let 
them  not  speak  in  vein  ! 


ABEL AN    ACCEPTED    WORSHIPER. 

*'  Know  we  not  our  dead  are  looking 
Downward  with  a  sad  surprise, 
All  our  strifes  of  words  rebuking 
With  their  mild  and  loving  eyes? 
Shall  we  grieve  these  holy  angels,  shall  we  cloud  these  blessed  skies  f 

"  Let  us  dravv'  their  mantles  o'er  us, 
Whic^i  have  fallen  in  our  way  ; 
Let  us  do  the  work  before  us, 
Cheerly,  bravely,  while  we  may, 
Ere  the  long  night — silence  cometh,  and  with  us  it  is  not  day." 


25 


G^gi 


26  THE    WORLDS    HOPE; 


CHAPTER  II. 

ENOCH.       THE    HEAVENLY    WALK. 

A  GOOD  man  once  observed,  that  when  he  got  to  heaven  he 
expected  to  meet  with  three  causes  of  wonder.  First,  he 
would  wonder  to  see  some  that  he  did  not  expect  to  see 
there  ;  second,  he  would  wonder  tofind'some  not  there  that  he 
did  expect  to  see  ;  and  third,  he  would  wonder  most  of  all  to 
find  such  an  unworthy  sinner  as  himself  there*.  No  doubt 
there  will  be  many  whose  names  have  occupied  a  large  place 
in  the  religious  world  on  earth,  whose  names  will  not  be 
known  in  heaven.  They  were  zealous  for  a  creed  ;  they  had 
talent  and  tact  and  courage  in  leading  a  party  ;  they  were  in 
their  element  amidst  the  bitter  rage  and  unholy  strife  of 
unprofitable  controversy,  but  their  hearts  were  not  right  in  the 
sight  of  God.  They  made  themselves  a  name  and  a  fame ; 
they  had  many  followers  and  admirers  ;  their  partizans  loaded 
them  with  titles  and  honors  ;  and  when  they  died,  volumes  of 
biography  were  written  about  them,  and  marble  monuments 
told  a  flattering  story  of  their  virtues  ;  but  when  they  ap- 
proached the  gates  of  heaven,  God  said,  "  I  know  you  not." 
When  the  names  recorded  in  the  Lamb's  book  of  life  shall 
come  to  be  read  in  heaven,  when  the  affairs  of  earth  shall  be 
wound  up,  it  will  be  found  that  names  which  went  sounding 
down  through  the  trumpet  of  history ;  names  that  made 
whole  nations  tremble,  will  not  be  heard  there  at  all.  While 
on  the  other  hand,  the  name  of  many  a  humble  child  of  God, 
but  little  known  on  earth,  or  if  known,  covered  all  over  with 
the  slanders  of  the  wicked,  shall  then  stand  high  in  the  roll 
of  glory.  Saints,  whose  names  were  unknown  among  the 
proud  ones  of  earth,  or  spoken  only  with  a  sneer,  will  be  pro- 
nounced with   approbation  before  assembled  worlds.     They 


ENOCH.       THE    HEAVENLY    WALK.  27 

that  confessed  Christ  here,  shall  be  confessed  by  hmi  there  ; 
and  all  the  renown  of  earth  is  an  empty  bauble  compared  to 
that  glor/  and  honor. 

We  have  been  led  to  make  thece  remarks  from  considering 
the  case  of  Enoch.  Only  a  few  words  convey  to  us  all  that  we 
know  about  him  ;  but  these  are  of  such  a  character  that  we 
long  to  know  more,  and  make  us  look  forward  with  delight  to 
the  time  when  we  shall  see  him  face  to  face  in  heaven.  Enoch, 
being  contemporary  with  Adam,  had  no  doubt  learned  from 
his  lips  the  dark  story  of  man's  fall,  and  the  brighter  one  of 
God's  grace,  as  seen  in  the  promise.  The  dreadful  evil  of  sin, 
as  seen  in  the  rampant  iniquity  of  the  people  around  him, 
whose  crimes  were  already  crying  to  heaven  for  vengeance, 
must  have  deeply  distressed  his  heart,  and  he  felt  the  neces- 
sity of  stemming  the  tide  of  profanation  and  impiety  that 
rolled  in  murky  darkness  before  his  eyes.  It  is  a  pleasing  re- 
flection ;  that  in  the  darkest  and  most  declining  time  which  our 
world  has  ever  seen,  God  has  never  left  himself  without  faithful 
witnesses  to  testify  for  him.  He  has  always  had  a  seed  to 
serve  him. 

There  was  a  Noah  in  the  midst  of  the  general  apostacy. 
There  was  a  Lot  in  the  midst  of  Sodom.  There  was  an  Abra- 
ham in  Ur,  and  a  Job  in  Uz.  In  the  days  of  Elijah  God's  holy 
eye  could  discover  seven  thousand  faithful  souls,  scarcely 
known  to  the  world,  and  never  wanting  to  be  known.  And  in 
Malachi's  days,  when  religion  had  sunk  into  such  a  low  and 
formal  state,  the  names  of  a  few  precious  jewels  in  God's  sight 
could  be  recorded,  who  feared  the  Lord  and  thought  upon  his 
name,  and  cheered  their  lonely  pilgrim  path  by  heavenly  con- 
verse. Like  an  oasis  in  a  desert ;  like  a  sweet  flower  peeping  up 
amid  the  departing  snows,  like  a  bright  star  breaking  out  of  a 
dark  night  to  cheer  the  tempest-tossed  mariner;  such  is  the 
child  of  God,  gathering  an  increase  of  brightness  from  sur- 
rounding gloom.  To  live  in  the  world  but  not  of  it ;  like  a 
holy  Daniel  in  Babylon,  not  a  partaker  of  her  sins,  but  an  un- 
flinching protester  against  them ;  this  is  the  position  for  the 
good  man  to  occupy.     And  though  the  influences  of  the  world 


28  THE    WORLD'S    HOPE. 

are  corrupting,  yet  strength  from  a  Divine  source  is  given  to 
those  who  seek  it  by  faith.  In  the  dark  ages,  when  pardon 
through  the  blood  of  Jesus  was  ignored,  and  mercenary  priests 
hawked  pardons  about  the  streets  for  sale  ;  when  justification 
by  faith  in  Jesus  was  sneered  at,  and  justification  by  fastings 
and  scourgings  and  other  penances  was  unblushingly  pro- 
claimed ;  when  what  was  called  the  Church  of  Christ  became 
rich  by  the  blood  of  souls;  God  kept  alive  the  Albigenses  and 
Waldenses  to  testify  for  the  truth.  The  world  has  never  been 
so  dark  that  the  sparkling  rays  of  the  Star  of  Bethlehem 
might  not  be  seen  by  those  who  were  looking  for  the  true 
light. 

The  inspired  record  about  Enoch  is  very  brief,  but  very 
suggestive.  "  And  Enoch  walked  with  God  :  and  he  was  not ; 
for  God  took  him."  And  upon  this  the  apostle  Paul  says,  "  By 
faith  Enoch  was  translated,  that  he  should  not  see  death ;  and 
was  not  found,  because  God  had  translated  him  ;  for  before  his 
translation  he  had  this  testimony,  that  he  pleased  God."  Some 
writers  have  spoken  of  Abel's  death  as  a  symbol  of  Christ  as 
the  great  Propitiation  for  sin,  and  of  Enoch's  translation  as  a 
type  of  If  is  resurrection  and  ascension.  But  not  to  adopt  an 
interpretation  that  may  be  more  fanciful  than  real,  it  is  evident 
that  if  Abel's  death  showed  the  awful  nature  of  sin,  the  trans* 
lation  of  Enoch  showed  the  power  and  glory  of  Divine  grace. 
In  the  one  we  see  sin  digging  a  gloomy  and  loathsome  grave; 
in  the  other  v/e  see  grace  opening  a  bright  and  glorious 
heaven.  In  the  death  of  the  one  we  see  the  hatred  of  God  to 
sin ;  but  in  the  translation  of  the  other  we  see  the  beauteous 
immortality  which  his  love  opens  up  for  the  faithful — for  those 
that  trust  the  promises  of  grace.  The  one  said,  "  The  wages 
of' sin  is  death  ;"  the  other  said,  "  The  gift  of  God  is  eternal 
life." 

"  Enoch  walked  with  God."  This  implies  a  very  high  state 
of  piety  and  of  spirituality  of  mind.  The  expression  is  so 
often  used  in  religious  meetings,  and  we  have  become  so  familiar 
with  the  sound  of  the  words,  that  we  scarcely  realize  how  much 
it  implies.     It  tells  us  of  a  nearness  to  God,  of  an  enjoyment 


ENOCH,       THE    HEAVENLY    V/ALK.  29 

of  God,  of  a  sweetness  felt  in  the  presence  of  God,  of  a  per- 
fect confidence  in  Him,  and  holy  familiarity  in  conversing 
with  Kim,  of  which  none  but  the  choice  spirits  of  our  race,  those 
of  whom  the  world  was  not  worthy,  have  ever  been  made  par- 
takers. It  is  man  dwelling  with  God,  and  God  taking  up  his 
abode  with  man.  "  I  in  them,  and  they  in  me,"  says  the  Lord 
Jesus.  To  souls  untaught  from  above,  these  expressions  sound 
like  the  ravings  of  a  dreamy  mysticism,  but  to  those  taught  in 
the  school  of  Christ  their  unmistakable  meaning  is  engraven  on 
their  hearts.     They  speak  that  which  they  know. 

President  Edwards  gives  us  a  correct  picture  of  walking 
with  God,  in  a  relation  of  his  own  experience.  He  says,  "  I 
had  vehement  longings  of  soul  after  God  and  Christ,  and  after 
mor^  holiness,  wherewith  my  heart  seemed  to  be  full  and 
ready  to  break,  which  often  brought  to  my  mind  the  words  of 
the  Psalmist,  '  My  soul  breaketh  for  the  longing  it  hath.'  I 
often  felt  a  longing  and  lamenting  in  my  heart  that  I  had  not 
turned  to  God  sooner,  that  I  might  have  had  more  time  to  grow 
in  grace.  My  mind  was  greatly  fixed  in  Divine  things,  year 
after  year,  often  in  walking  alone. in  the  woods  and  solitary 
places,  for  meditation,  soliloquy,  and  prayer,  and  converse 
with  God ;  and  it  was  always  my  manner  at  such  times  to  sing 
forth  my  contemplation.  I  was  almost  constantly  in  ejacula- 
tor}  prayer,  wherever  I  was.  Prayer  seemed  to  be  natural  to 
me,  as  the  breath  by  which  the  inward  burning  of  my  heart 
had  vent.  The  delights  which  I  now  felt  in  the  things  of  reli- 
gion were  of  an  exceedingly  different  kind  from  what  I  ever 
enjoyed  before,  and  what  I  had  no  more  notion  of  when  a  boy, 
than  one  born  blind  has  of  pleasant  and  beautiful  colors.  They 
were  of  a  more  inward,  pure,  soul-animating  and  refreshing 
nature.  Those  former  delights  never  reached  the  heart, 
and  did  not  arise  from  sight  of  the  Divine  excellency  of 
the  things  of  God,  or  any  taste  of  the  soul-satisfying  and 
life-giving  good  there  is  in  them." 

Yes;  this  is  truly  walking  with  God.  And  blessed  be  God, 
it  is  not  confined  to  patriarchs  and  prophets,  to  apostles  and 
martyrs,  to  ministers  and  reformers.      There  are  thousands 


30  THE-  WORLD  S    HOPE. 

and  tens  of  thousands  to-day  thus  walking  with  God,  that  the 
world  has  never  heard  of  and  never  will  till  the  affairs  of  earth 
shall  be  brought  to  their  final  settlement.  It  has  been  my 
happy  privilege  to  know  many  of  them,  and  to  see  them 
ripening  for  their  future  life,  as  they  walked  on  the  verge  of 
glory.  And  so  much  of  heaven  did  they  possess  upon  earth, 
that  their  departure  seemed  more  a  translation  than  dying. 
We  felt  the  great  blank  which  the  loss  of  their  presence  here 
created,  and  with  heart-longings  gazed  after  them  into  the 
heavens,  and  wished  to  follow  them  to  their  blessed  home. 

"And  after  he  was  dead  and  gone» 
And  e'en  his  memory  dim, 
Earth  seemed  more  sweet  to  live  upon, 
More  full  of  love  because  of  him." 

To  walk  with  God  implies  a  converted  character.  No  man 
by  nature  chooses  God  for  his  companion.  On  the  contrary 
there  is  an  aversion,  an  enmity,  a  dislike  to  think  of  God,  as 
he  is  revealed  in  the  Bible,  'that  make  men  turn  their  backs 
upon  him  and  seek  to  get  out  of  his  presence.  "  I  remem- 
bered God  and  was  troubled."  It  is  true,  that  sinners  some- 
times get  up  a  god  in  their  own  imagination  of  which  they  are 
not  afraid,  and  'which  they  even  cherish  an  affection  for.  They 
conjure  up  a  god  all  mercy,  making  no  distinction  between  sin 
and  holiness,  between  the  righteous  and  the  wicked ;  a  god  all 
made  up  of  what  they  call  goodness — a  goodness  without 
truth  and  without  justice;  and  this  god  they  can  walk  with. 
But  it  is  just  as  much  an  idol  they  worship  as  that  of  the 
heathen  man  who  makes  one  with  his  own  hands,  and  carries 
it  about  in  his  pocket,  or  sets  it  up  in  his  house.  Until  men 
are  converted  their  whole  course  is  away  from  the  God  of  the 
Bible.  They  are  going  from  God  and  toward  destruction,  and 
that  with  increasing  speed  day  by  day,  until  in  conversion  a 
total  change  takes  place.  Indeed,  the  word  conversion, 
coming  from  the  Latin  word  convertere^  means  to  turn  round. 
Then  they  walk  with  God  instead  of  aAvay  from  him.  Their 
faces  are  turned  towards  God  and  heaven,  instead  of  towards 
the  world  and  hell.     Their  old  pleasures  and  pursuits  they 


ENOCH.       THE    HEAVENLY    WALK 


31 


leave  behind  them,  and  turn  with  new  and  consecrated  ener- 
gies to  objects  worthy  of  their  high  destiny,  and  their  immortal 
natures. 

To  walk  with  God,  in  its  very  nature,  implies  being  of  one 
mind  with  him.  "  How  can  two  walk  together  unless  they  be 
agreed.^"  We  must  submit  our  own  wills  to  his,  and  permit 
his  wisdom  to  take  the  place  of  our  presumption.  We  must 
confide  in  him,  willing  to  go  where  he  leads,  and  to  suffer  what 
he  appoints.  We  read  of  two  apostles  who  walk'^d  together 
for  a  time,  but  they  were  not  of  one  mind ;  and  strife  and  con- 
tention was  the  result.  They  had  to  separate  and  ( ach  take 
his  own  way.  You  have  seen  a  criminal  walking  with  a  police 
officer,  but  it  was  not  a  willing  waik;  he  was  eagerly  booking 
for  a  chance  to  escape.  You  have  seen  an  insane  person 
walking  with  his  keeper:  but  it  wr.s  not  a  loving,  joyous,  in- 
telligent walk.  The  Christian's  Avalk  is  very  different  from  all 
of  these.  He  commits  himself  to  God  to  be  led  as  he  plearcs, 
just  as  a  loving  child  puts  his  hand  into  its  father's,  and  walk.* 
with  him  through  dark  night  or  dense  forest,  with  perfect  con- 
fidence in  his  love  and  his  wisdom. 

It  was  among  the  very  first  signs  of  his  conversion  when 
Paul  cried,  "  Lord,  what  wouldst  thou  have  me  to  do  ?"  It  is 
a  state  of  mind  that  gives  obedience  in  feeling  and  obedience 
in  action.  Instead  of  standing  up  in  opposition  to  the  great, 
harmonious,  and  holy  will  of  our  God,  which  is  only  beating 
our  heads  with  frantic  rage  against  a  rock,  we  must  say,  "  Not 
my  will,  but  thine  be  done."  The  chief  misery  of  earth  arises 
from  men  setting  up  their  own  proud,  selfish  and  wicked  wills, 
and  wanting  to  make  everything  bow  to  them.  What  are 
strifes  and  contentions  in  families,  or  nations,  or  churches,  but 
a  clashing  of  such  wills.?  And  what  causes  the  impenitent 
sinner  to  live  and  die  an  outcast  from  all  good,  but  because  he 
will  not  submit  to  God's  way  of  saving  him  ? 

We  could  not  walk  with  any  comfort  with  one  who  was  to  us 
an  object  of  suspicion.  If  you  thought  that  he  was  going  to 
rob  you,  or  had  designs  upon  your  life,  you  would  seek  to  get 
as  far  away  from  him  as  possible.     To  those  who  do  not  walk 


32 


THE    WORLD  S    HOPE. 


by  faith,  the  thought  of  the  constant  presence  of  God  is  dread- 
ful. They  do  not  like  to  think  of  it,  nor  to  speak  of  it;  and 
though  they  may  not  say  so  in  so  many  words,  yet  they  would 
rather  that  there  was  no  God  I  Yea,  they  sometimes  speak  out 
the  bitterness  of  their  hearts  in  the  words,  "  Depart  from  us ; 
we  d-esire  not  a  knowledge  of  thy  ways." 

Now,  the  believer  is  one  who  has  been  reconciled  to  God 
through  the  death  of  his  Son.  Through  faith  in  Jesus  he  has 
seen  the  heart  of  God,  and  knows  something  of  the  great, 
abounding  love  that  reigns  there.  In  that  love  he  confides. 
He  can  look  up  into  the  face  of  his  Heavenly  Father  with  the 
warm  glow  of  affection,  and  feels  it  his  highest  heaven  to  be  in 
his  presence.  John  Bunyan,  in  relating  his  conversion,  gives  a 
good  idea  of  the  beginning  of  his  heavenly  walk.  "  One  day 
as  I  was  passing  into  the  field,  and  that  too  with  some  dashes 
on  my  conscience,  fearing  lest  yet  all  was  not  right,  suddenly 
this  sentence  fell  upon  my  soul :  '  Thy  righteousness  is  in 
heaven;'  and  methought  withal  I  saw,  with  the  eyes  of  my 
soul,  Jesus  Christ  at  God's  right  hand.  There  I  saw  was  my 
righteousness ;  so  that  wherever  I  was,  or  whatever  I  was 
doing,  God  could  not  say  of  me,  *  He  wants  my  righteousness,' 
for  that  was  just  before  him.  I  also  saw,  moreover,  that  it  was 
not  my  good  frame  of  heart  that  made  my  righteousness  better 
nor  yet  my  bad  frame  that  made'  my  righteousness  worse ;  for 
my  righteousness  v/as  Jesus  Christ  himself,  the  same  yesterday, 
to-day,  and  forever.*  Now  did  my  chains  fall  off  my  legs  in- 
deed,— I  v/as  loosed  from  my  afflictions  and  irons,  my  tempta- 
tions also  fled  away ;  so  that  from  that  time  those  dreadful 
Scriptures  of  God  left  off  to  trouble  me.  Now  went  I  also 
home  rejoicing  for  the  grace  and  love  of  God." 

To  walk  Vv'ith  God  implies  a  man  of  prayer.  We  would  »ot 
feel  much  pleasure  in  walking  with  one  with  whom  we  could 
not  converse.  Now,  prayer  is  just  talking  with  God.  When 
the  two  disciples  had  that  delightful  walk  on  the  v/ay  to  Em- 
maus,  their  sv^^eetest  recollection  of  it  was  recorded  in  the 
words,  "  Did  not  our  hearts  burn  within  us,  while  he  talked 
with  us  by  the  way,  and  while  he  opened  to  us  the  Scriptures." 


■ENOCH.       THE    HEAVENLY    WALK.  ^^ 

This  is  SO  Still.  The  happiest  part  of  the  Christian's  journey, 
and  the  part  that  he  will  look  back  upon  with  the  greatest  de- 
light, will  be  the  hours  spent  in  converse  ^vith  God.  He  knows 
that  he  has  sent  requests  to  God,  and  that  he  has  got  back 
answers  from  him.  He  needs  no  labored  argument  to  prove  to 
him  the  existence  of  God  any  more  than  he  needs  to  have  his 
own  existence  proved.  He  is  in  daily  communication  with  the 
Father  of  Spirits  ;  and  the  secret  of  the  Lord  is  with  him.  He 
constantly  asks  and  receives. 

The  Rev.  Dr.  Murray  gives  us  an  illustration  of  this.  He 
says  :  "  There  was  among  my  people  a  man  in  middle  life,  a 
German  by  birth,  and  a  remarkably  simple-hearted,  pure- 
minded  Christian.  Whoever  was  absent,  he  was  always  pres- 
ent at  the  place  of  prayer.  One  evening  early  in  December, 
as  I  was  about  retiring  to  rest,  I  heard  a  knock  at  my  door, 
and  my  German  friend  was  introduced,  his  countenance  full 
of  emotion.  On  taking  his  seat,  his  first  words  were  these  : 
*  My  dear  pastor,  I  have  come  to  tell  you  that  the  Lord  is 
about  to  revive  his  work  here.'  Surprised  at  his  appearance 
and  language,  and  at  the  lateness  of  his  visit,  I  asked  him, 
*VVhy  do  you  think  so  ?'  He  replied  as  follows  :  '  About  eight 
o'clock  this  evening,  I  went  up  to  my  hay-mow  to  give  hay  to 
my  cattle,  and  while  there  the  Spirit  of  God  came  upon  me, 
and  has  kept  me  there  praying  until  now.  I  feel  that  God  is 
about  to  revive  his  work,  and  I  could  not  go  into  my  family 
until  I  told  you.'  The  entire  simplicity  and  earnestness  of 
the  good  man  convinced  me  that  God  had  vouchsafed  to  visit 
his  servant.  After  some  conversation  we  parted,  mutually 
agreeing  to  pray  and  labor  for  a  revival  of  religion,  and  to 
engage  as  many  as  we  could  to  do  the  same." 

The  revival  did  come,  and  that  with  much  pov/er.  The 
prayer- meetings  became  crowded  and  very  solemn.  The 
Spirit  of  God  accompanied  the  preaching  on  Sabbath ;  and  a 
mighty  ingathering  of  souls  was  given,  in  answer  to  that  pre^ 
vailing  prayer  in  the  hay-mow. 

A  poor  colored  woman,  in  Ohio,  sat  in  the  corner  of  the 
gallery  in  the  house  gf  God  on  the  Sabbath  ;  and  she  would 


^4  THE    WORLD'S    HOPE. 

single  out  some  young  man  and  continue  to  pray  for  him,  till 
she  saw  him  come  forward  and  join  the  church.  Then  she 
would  take  up  the  case  of  another,  and  another,  till  in  the 
course  of  some  years,  twenty  young  men  for  whom  she  had 
thus  prayed,  but  with  whom  she  was  not  personally  acquainted, 
were  brought  to  Christ.  No  one  knew  what  she  was  doing ; 
but  she  disclosed  the  fact  to  her  pastor  on  her  death-bed. 
Many  of  that  congregation  might  have  been  ashamed  to  walk 
with  that  humble  child  of  God  ;  but  the  Lord  of  all  worlds  was 
not  ashamed  of  her,  but  gave  her  the  holy  privilege  of  the 
sweetest  fellowship  and  communion  with  Himself. 

As  a  man,  Jesus  was  constant  in  prayer.  He  is  a  bright  ex- 
ample to  us  of  what  it  is  to  walk  with  God.  He  often  retired 
for  converse  with  his  Father,  even  spending  whole  nights  in 
this  way.  He  was  always  in  the  spirit  of  prayer,  often  praying 
sile7itly  when  in  the  midst  of  a  throng.  This  is  clear  from  what 
he  said  at  the  grave  of  Lazarus :  "  I  thank  thee,  O  Father, 
that  thou  hast  heard  me.  And  I  know  that  thou  hearest  me 
always;  but  because  of  those  that  stand  by  I  said  it."  Jesus 
had  been  praying  there  right  in  that  crowd,  but  they  had  not 
heard  his  prayer,  nor  seen  any  signs  of  his  praying,  until  they 
heard  the  expression  of  his  thanks  for  being  heard.  Thus  in 
the  crowded  street,  in  the  steamboat  or  the  rushing  railroad 
car,  in  the  counting-room  or  the  work-shop,  the  Christian  can 
keep  up  his  walk  with  God  and  his  converse  with  heaven.  The 
holy  McCheyne  said,  "  It  is  best  to  have  one  hour  alojie  wif/i 
God  before  engaging  in  anything  else.  At  the  same  time,  I 
must  be  careful  not  to  reckon  communion  with  God  by  min- 
utes, or  hours,  or  by  solitude." 

Of  that  dear  servant  of  God,  whose  words  T  have  just  quoted, 
his  biographer  says,  "With  him  the  commencement  of  all 
labor  invariably  consisted  in  the  preparation  of  his  own  soul. 
The  forerunner  of  each  day's  visitations  was  a  calm  season  of 
private  devotion  during  morning  hours.  The  walls  of  his 
chamber  were  witnesses  of  his  prayerfulness — I  believe  of  his 
tears  as  well  as  of  his  cries.  The  pleasant  sound  of  psalms  often 
issued   from   his   room    at   an  early  hour;    then  followed  the 


ENOCH. THE    HEAVENLY    WALK.  35 

reading  of  the  Word  for  his  own  [  anctification  ;  and  few  have 
so  fully  realized  the  blessing  of  the  first  psalm." 

Dear  reader,  can  there  be  any  thing  nobler,  any  thing 
more  blessed  and  desirable  .than  such  a  walk  as  this.-*  How 
paltry  the  honor  of  walking  with  kings  and  nobles,  and  the 
greatest  of  earth's  sons,  compared  to  this .''  James  Janeway,, 
writing  of  his  brother  John,  says  :  "  I  once  hid  myself,  that  I 
might  take  the  more  exact  notice  of  the  intercourse  that  I 
judged  was  kept  up  between  him  and  God.  But  oh,  what  a 
spectacle  did  I  see  !  Surely,  a  man  walking  with  God,  con- 
versing intimately  with  his  Maker,  and  maintaining  a  holy 
familiarity  with  the  great  Jehovah.  Methought  I  saw  someone 
talking  with  God.  Methought  I  saw  a  spiritual  merchant  in 
a  heavenly  exchange,  driving  a  rich  trade  for  the  treasures  of 
another  world.  Oh,  what  a  glorious  sight  it  was  I  Methinks  I 
see  him  still.  How  sweetly  did  his  face  shine  !  Oh,  with  what 
a  lovely  countenance  did  he  walk  up  and  down — his  lips  going, . 
his  body  oft  reaching  up,  as  if  he  would  have  taken  his  flight 
to  heaven  !  His  looks,  smiles,  and  every  motion  spake  him  to 
be  upon  the  very  confines  of  glory.  Oh,  had  one  but  known 
what  he  was  then  feeding  upon  !  Surely  he  had  meat  to  eat 
which  the  world  knew  not  of!" 

It  must  be  evident  to  all  reflecting  minds,  that  a  life  of  walk- 
ing with  God  must  be  a  happy  one.  Away  from  God,  man's 
soul  is  in  a  state  of  unrest.  Man  is  not  made  to  find  happi- 
ness in  himself,  or  in  the  world ;  but  it  so  constituted  that 
neglect  of  his  Creator  forms  his  deepest  misery,  while  His  favor 
forms  his  highest  bliss.  We  are  not  independent.  We  cannot 
stand  alone.  We  do  not  carry  around  with  us  a  fountain  of 
satisfaction  and  happiness  from  which  we  can  draw,  when 
troubled  with  the  soul's  deep  cravings  after  good.  It  is  not  in 
the  cramped  up,  narrow  circle  of  our  own  individuality  that  we 
can  ever  find  the  blessed  life ;  but  only  in  connection  with  the 
God  and  Giver  of  every  perfect  gift.  The  soul  is  a  greater  and 
a  nobler  thing  than  we  think.  It  is  not  mere  things  that  can 
satisfy  it.  Try  to  fill  it  with  honors,  titles,  riches,  and  the  vast- 
est material  possessions,  and  it  resents  the  insult  by  enlarging 


36  THE    WORLD'S    HOPE. 

Still  more  the  boundary  of  its  desires.  Man  is  a  spirit,  and 
nothing  can  give  him  rest,  peace,  satisfaction,  but  the  love  of 
the  Father  of  spirits, — the  living  God  himself. 
\  When  the  soul  is  drawn  away  from  the  Great  Central  object 
of  its  love  and  adoration,  God  himself,  it  is  left  to  wander  in 
darkness  and  uncertainty;  life  gets  divided  up  into  a  hun- 
dred different  objects  and  pursuits,  each  promising  much  in  the 
way  of  happiness,  but  giving  nothing  in  the  end;  the  chase 
after  each  new  idol  becomes  hot  and  eager,  till  it  is  found  to 
be  a  cheat  and  a  lie  ;  and  then  comes  the  reaction  of  grief  and 
disappointment,  when  the  heart  almost  despairs  of  ever  finding 
a  resting  place,  and  gives  utterance  to  its  yearnings  in  the  cry, 
"O,  who  will  show  us  any  good  !"  Then  the  great  danger  is, 
that  the  soul  will  sink  down  into  a  stupid  indifference  as  to  th-e 
great  duties  of  life — a  dogged,  sullen  silence  of  the  heart,  in 
which  but  little  is  feared  and  little  hoped  for  ,•  and  which  re- 
minds one  of  the  horrid,  unnatural  stillness  that  falls  upon  the 
doomed  city  through  which  the  plague  rages,  and  which  little 
disturbs  but  the  rattle  of  the  dead-cart  on  its  dreaded  round 
of  duty. 

Happy  is  the  man.  who,  feeling  his  soul  restless  as  the  heav- 
ing, turbulent  sea,  and  satisfied  that  none  but  God  can  give 
him  rest,  turns  to  Him  with  his  whole  heart.  Leaving  the 
world's  vanities  behind,  he  grasps  by  faith  eternal  realities ; 
and  knows  that  in  finding  God  through  Christ,  he  has  found  all 
his  soul  can  need.  His  mind  then  becom.es  calm  as  the  little 
lake  I  have  seen  surrounded  with  hills,  secure  from  the  tempests 
that  beat  upon  the  mountain's  brow,  and  reflecting  from  its 
tranquil  bosom  all  that  was  fair  and  lovely  in  the  heavens 
above.  In  God's  love  you  will  find  a  peace  that  will  flow  on 
and  on  like  a  river.  His  presence  will  give  vigor  to  all  your 
powers,  strengthen  all  your  feebleness,  satisfy  all  your  cravings 
after  a  higher  life,  ennoble  your  immortality,  and  with  all  His 
unspeakable  perfection,  become  your  portion  for  ever. 

It  is  often  the  excuse  of  worldly  minds,  when  urged  to  high 
attainments  in  piety,  that  they  have  so  many  of  the  active  duties 
of  life  to  attend  to,  the  care  of  providing  for  a  large  family, 


ENOCH.       THE    HEAVENLY    WALK.  37 

the  toil  of  working  for  those  dependent  upon  them,  that  they 
have  little  time  for  walking  with  God.  But  Enoch  was  the 
father  of  a  family  of  children,  and  yet  his  soul  soared  heaven- 
ward, and  hence  gathered  fresh  strength  for  the  duties  of  earth. 
It  is  a  delusion  to  think  that  we  must  retire  from  the  active 
duties  of  life  and  from  its  responsibilities,  in  order  to  be  very 
pious  characters.  People  have  thought  if  they  could  retire 
to  some  still,  sequestered  spot,  where  they  would  have  noth- 
ing to  do  but  to  pray  and  read  and  meditate  upon  Divine 
things,  they  could  live  an  uncommonly  holy  life.  They  for- 
get that  religion  does  not  consist  of  certain  mental  processes 
and  high  wrought  moral  feelings,  but  in  obeying  God ;  and  in 
obeying  Him  where  he  puts  us,  not  where  we  choose  to  put 
•  ourselves.  Our  religion  is  to  show  itself  in  seeking  to  make 
the  world  better,  not  in  running  away  from  it ;  in  conquering 
difficulties  that  lie  in  the  way  of  duty,  not  in  fleeing  from  the 
duty  to  avoid  the  difficulty  ;  in  keeping  ourselves  unspotted 
from  the  world  while  in  it,  not  by  going  out  of  it ;  in  short,  in 
working  for  God  where  the  work  is  hardest  and  most  needed ; 
in  fighting  the  battles  of  truth  where  the  conflict  rages  the 
fiercest;  in  seeking  not  our  own  ease  and  enjoyment  by  a  life 
of  solitude  and  concentration  of  thought  upon  our  own  states  and 
frames  and  feelings ;  but  by  mingling  with  the  great  mass  of 
humanity,  in  deepest  sympathy  with  Him  who  came  to  seek  and 
to  save  the  lost. 

The  piety  of  Enoch  led  to  deeds  of  active  and  self-denying 
zeal.  He  did  not  set  down  in  pleasant  meditation,  seeking 
only  his  own  happiness  and  enjoyment,  and  leaving  the  wicked 
around  him  to  perish.  He  was  a  faithful  preacher  of  righteous- 
ness. He  warned  men  to  flee  from  the  wrath  to  come..  He 
preached  Christ  unto  them.  This  we  learn  from  Jude,  who 
says:  "And  Enoch  also,  the  seventh  from  Adam,  prophesied 
of  these,  saying.  Behold  the  Lord  cometh  with  ten  thousand  of 
his  saints,  to  execute  judgment  upon  all,  and  to  convince  all 
that  are  ungodly  among  them  of  all  their  ungodly  deeds  which 
they  have  ungodly  committed,  and  of  all  their  hard  speeches 
which  ungodly  sinners  have  spoken  against  him."     What  more 


38  THE    world's    hope. 

pointed  and  searching  truths  could  be  uttered  in  the  ears  of 
sinners  than  these  which  this  good  man  uttered  ?  There  was 
no  yielding  to  fear  of  man ;  no  seeking  of  their  favor  instead 
of  their  souls ;  no  shrinking  from  bringing  out  the  whole  testi- 
mony of  God.  He  came  from  pleading  with  the  Lord  to  plead 
with  his  fellow-men.  His  intercourse  with  Jehovah  imparted 
to  him  courage  which  earth  nor  hell  could  shake. 

"  He  was  not,  for  God  took  him."  His  work  on  earth  was 
ended.  He  was  ripe  for  glory.  Angels  longed  for  his  society, 
and  the  faithful  who  had  preceded  him  to  glory  stood  in  joy- 
ous expectation  to  give  him  a  welcome.  Without  going  through 
the  sufferings  of  a  death-bed,  of  days  and  nights  of  languor 
and  pain,  God  took  him  .home.  There,  free  from  a  sinning 
heart  and  a  sinning  world,  he  could  walk  with  God  in  the  per-' 
fection  of  holiness.  That  walk  is  still  continued  as  the  ages 
roll  on  ;  and  as  from  age  to  age  he  has  seen  vast  numbers  of 
blood-washed  souls  added  to  the  sinless  congregation,  doubt- 
less his  gratitude  to  the  God  of  all  grace  has  increased,  and  his 
song  attained  to  a  loftier  rapture. 

"On  we  haste,  to  home  invited, 
There  with  friends  to  be  united 

In  a  surer  bond  than  here  ; 
Meeting  soon,  and  met  for  ever  ! 
Glorious  Hope  !  forsake  us  never, 

For  thy  glimmering  light  is  dear." 

*'  In  that  fair  land  shall  disappear 
The  shadov^fs  which  we  follow  here, 
The  mist-wreaths  of  our  atmosphere." 


NOAH.   A  PREACHER  OF  RIGHTEOUSNESS.         39 


CHAPTER  III. 

NOAH A    PREACHER    OF    RIGHTEOUSNESS. 

It  is  of  the  very  nature  of  sin  to  spread  like  a  deadly  lep- 
rosy. Though  in  the  days  of  Noah  the  world  was  but  yet  in 
the  very  infancy  of  its  being,  yet  sin  had  deepened  and  widened 
as  it  rolled  along  its  dark  course ;  till  hatred  of  law  and  truth 
and  goodness  had  become  almost  universal.  The  wickedness 
of  man  had  grown  to  gigantic  and  fearful  proportions.  That 
guilty  race  were  deluged  in  sin  before  they  were  deluged  in  the 
waters  of  the  flood.  Had  they  not  been  first  buried  under  the 
accumulated  pollution  of  their  guilt,  they  would  not  have  been 
engulphed  in  the  avenging  waters. 

In  the  midst  of  such  an  appalling  disregard  of  God,  Noah 
stands  up  before  us  a  noble  spectacle.  His  simple  and  child- 
like faith,  and  his  unflinching  and  persevering  obedience  are 
truly  sublime.  There  is  exhibited  holy  integrity  in  the  midst 
of  universal  corruption  ,  an  unwavering  adherence  to  right, 
when  it  was  the  object  of  popular  contempt  and  scorn ;  the 
fullest  recognition  of  God's  supreme  right  to  govern  and  to  be 
obeyed,  when  all  had  sunk  into  unbelief,  and  revolted  against 
His  laws.  It  is  only  when  men  are  brought  into  circumstances 
that  test  and  try  them  thoroughly,  that  we  know  what  they  are. 
We  are  told  that  the  man  who  is  tried  is  blessed  ;  and  the 
more  severe  the  trial  the  more  glorious  is  the  triumph  of  Di- 
vme  grace  when  it  brings  him  off  unscathed.  And  to  every 
man  there  comes  his  testing  time— his  time  of  trial ;  and  the 
worse  the  state  of  society  around  him,  the  more  conspicuous 
becomes  the  integrity  of  the  man  that  stands  boldly  up  for 
God.  Thus  Noah  stood  like  a  rock  amidst  the  swelling  torrent 
of  abounding  sin  around  him,  and  not  for  a  moment  was  the 
purity  of  his  purpose  shaken.     There  he  stood,  a  true,  faithful, 


4©  THE    V/ORLD^S    HOPE. 

unbending  witness  for  God ;  his  meekness  under  insult ;  his 
deep  piety  shining  bright  in  its  solitude  ;  and  his  undaunted 
heroism,  exciting  our  warmest  admiration.  To  thus  stand 
faithful  among  the  faithless  requires  something  more  than  a 
mere  religion  of  form  or  ceremony ;  it  requires  the  power  of 
God's  mighty  grace  rooted  in  the  deepest  depths  of  our  souls, 
and  a  firm  hold  upon  God's  truth  which  the  rudest  shocks  of 
time  can  never  relax. 

Noah,  in  the  course  of  God's  providence,  was  made  a  public 
man — a  representative  man — whose  footsteps  were  to  leave  deep 
prints  upon  the  sands  of  time.  But,  for  his  public  work  he  got 
all  his  strength  and  power  in  secret  communion  with  God.  It 
is  in  the  depth  of  bis  devotion  that  we  are  to  find  all  the  source 
of  his  fidelity  to  the  public  interests  committed  to  his  care.  If 
he  was  a  man  of  power  it  was  because  he  was  a  man  of  prayer. 
He  fought  a  good  fight;  but  it  was  because  he  was  clad  in  ar- 
mor burnished  in  the  light  of  heaven.  His  trust  was  in  God — 
a  trust  that  was  not  disappointed, — for  the  same  waves  of  deso- 
lation that  brought  destruction  to  the  wicked,  only  floated  him 
nearer  to  his  gracious  Friend.  All  external  to  him  was  uproar 
and  confusion,  but  all  v/ithin  him  was  the  sweet  calm  &f  God's 
peace.  He  found  a  safe  retreat,  a  holy  repose,  in  the  center  of 
all  life  and  blessedness — the  favor  of  Almighty  Love.  And 
though  his  lot  was  cast  upon  evil  times  he  found  a  sweet  calm, 
a  holy  pavilion,  under  the  shadow  of  the  eternal  throne. 
What  though  the  whole  world  was  against  him,  when  he  had 
this  testimony  from  the  lips  of  Jehovah,  "  Thee  have  I  seen 
righteous  before  me  in  this  generation  I" 

Noah  was  a  man  of  strong  faith.  He  was  warned  of  God  of 
a  coming  event,  not  likely  to  take  place  so  far  as  human  wis- 
dom could  see.  For  centuries  the  laws  of  nature  had  rolled 
on  in  their  undisturbed  and  placid  course.  The  seasons  had 
come  and  gone  in  regular  succession.  Rain  had  fallen  only  to 
bless  the  earth.  The  rivers  and  brooks  had  borne  their  waters 
safely  to  the  sea  ;  and  that  vast  world  of  waters  had  been  kept 
m  place  by  the  fixed  decree,  "  Hitherto  shalt  thou  go  and  no 
farther."     Men  began  to  speak  about  the  fixed  laws  of  Nature, 


NOAH.   A  PREACHER  OF  RIGHTEOUSNESS.         41 

and  then,  as  now,  felt  as  if  they  were  so  fixed  \\\2X  God  himself 
could  not  change  them.  It  is  no  nev/  thing  for  men  to  wish  to 
make  God  the  slave  of  his  own  laws  ;  and  to  argue  that  things 
which  God  has  said  shall  be  done,  because  they  will  interfere 
with  the  laws  of  nature.  No  doubt  there  were  some  of  these 
very  people  in  those  days,  who  sought  to  shov/  how  impossible 
it  was  that  a  flood  could  take  place,  and  laughed  to  scorn  the 
warnings  of  the  man  of  God,  as  the  ravings  of  fanaticism ;  as 
they  intrenched  themselves  behind  what  they  called  the  laws  of 
nature.  But  Noah  firmly  and  implicity  believed  God.  The 
Lord  had  said  it ;  and  that  was  enough  for  him.  The  argu- 
ments of  the  philosophers  were  no  more  to  him  than  the  chirp- 
ing of  grasshoppers,  when  the  voice  of  eternal  Wisdom  was 
sounding  in  his  ears. 

But  it  appears  that  Noah's  faith  in  the  first  place  operated 
hy  fear.  "  By  faith  Noah,  being  warned  of  God  of  things  not 
seen  as  yet,  moved  with  fear,  prepared  an  ark  to  the  saving  of 
his  house."  Some  people  think  that  if  a  man  has  any  fears,  it 
is  a  sure  proof  that  he  has  no  faith.  But  this  is  a  mistake ; 
for  faith  often  intensifies  fear.  When  the  sinner  honestly  be- 
lieves the  threatenings  of  God's  law,  it  drives  him  to  Christ. 
When  a  man  believes  himself  in  danger  of  drowning  he  takes 
a  firm  grasp  of  the  rope  that  is  flung  to  him.  John  Bunyan 
says,  "  I  was  brought  into  such  a  dread  and  horror  of  the  wrath 
of  God  that  I  could  not  help  trusting  in  Christ ;  I  felt  that  if 
he  stood  vrith  a  drawn  sword  in  his  hand  I  must  even  run  right 
upon  its  point  sooner  than  endure  my  sins."  If  fear  was  to 
have  no  part  in  man's  turning  to  God,  why  has  God  put  so 
many  terrors  in  the  Bible .''  Why  did  one  say,  in  view  of  the 
danger  of  sinners,  "  Horror  hath  taken  hold  upon  me,  because 
of  the  wicked  that  forsake  thy  laws  ".^  Why  did  Paul  say, 
"  Knowing  the  terrors  of  the  Lord  we  pursuade  men  ".^  No 
doubt  the  great  power  of  the  Gospel  is  love ;  but  it  also  utters 
its  stern  voice  of  terror  in  the  words,  "  He  that  believeth  not 
shall  be  damned  !" 

On  this  subject  Dr.  Guthrie  says,  "God  indeed  tells  us  of 
hell,  but  it  is  to  persuade  us  to  go  to  heaven ;  and,  as  a  skillful 


42.  THE    world's    HOPE, 

painter  fills  the  background  of  his  picture  with  his  darker  coU 
ors,  God  puts  in  the  smoke  of  torment  and  the  black  clouds  of 
Sinai,  to  give  brighter  prominence  to  Jesus,  the  cross  of  Cal- 
vary, and  his  love  to  the  chief  of  sinners.  His  voice  of  terror 
is  like  the  scream  of  the  mother  bird  when  the  hawk  is  in  the 
sky.  She  alarms  her  brood  that  they  may  run  and  hide 
beneath  her  feathers ;  and  as  I  believe  that  God  had  left  that 
mother  dumb  unless  he  had  given  her  wings  to  cover  her  little 
ones,  I  am  sure  that  He  who  is  very  pitiful,  and  has  no  pleas- 
ure in  any  creature's  pain,  had  never  turned  our  eyes  to  the 
horrible  gulf  unless  for  the  voice  that  cries,  '  Deliver  from  go- 
ing down  to  the  pit,  for  I  have  found  a  ransom.'  We  had  never 
heard  of  sin  had  there  been  no  Saviour ;  nor  of  hell  had  there 
been  no  heaven.  *  Sufficient  for  the  day  is  the  evil  thereof; ' 
and  never  had  Bible  light  been  flashed  before  the  eyes  or  the 
sleeping  felon  to  wake  him  from  his  happy  dream,  but  that  he 
might  see  the  smiling  form  of  Mercy,  and  hear  her  as  she  says, 
with  pointing  finger,  '  Behold,  I  have  set  before  thee  an  open 
door.' " 

Noah's  faith  produced  obedience  ;  and  this  is  always  the 
case  with  true  faith.  He  did  not  sit  down  and  make  excuses, 
instead  of  going  to  work  upon  the  ark,  as  he  was  commanded. 
He  might  have  urged  the  great  labor  and  expense  of  building 
such  a  huge  vessel ;  that  he  was  no  sailor,  and  that  manned 
only  by  himself  and  sons,  she  would  be  quite  unmanageable ; 
that  so  many  animals  brought  together  would  devour  each,  and 
destroy  his  family ;  but  it  is  not  the  nature  of  faith  to  stagger 
at  God's  word.  When  God  commands  us  to  do  anything,  that 
is  the  highest  evidence  that  he  will  give  us  strength  to  do  it,  if 
we  honestly  set  about  obeying  his  word.  A  great  trial  to  his 
faith  must  have  been  the  length  of  time  that  elapsed  from  his 
receiving  the  warning  till  the  penalty  was  inflicted.  In  great 
forbearance  God  waited  for  a  hundred  and  twenty  years ; 
waited  so  long  that  men  turned  his  very  patience  into  an  occa- 
sion of  scorn.  As  the  ark  went  up  in  its  proportions ;  as  plank 
after  plank  was  added,  and  still  no  cloud  appeared  in  the  heav- 
ens as  a  token  of  anything  unusual  about  to  take  place,  the 


NOAH.       A    PREACHER    OF    RIGHTEOUSNESS.  43 

wicked  doubtless  made  themselves  merry  at  the  expense  of  this 
fanatical  preacher,  as  they  would  call  him.  The  very  men  that 
assisted  him  at  his  work  would  likely  beguile  their  toil  with 
many  a  joke  at  his  folly.  But  there  was  to  be  an  end  to  all 
this.  The  day  of  doom  came  slowly  but  surely.  God  does 
not  need  to  be  in  a  hurry  in  carrying  out  his  purposes ;  for  He 
is  from  everlasting  to  everlasting. 

All  this  time  Noah's  faith  does  not  seem  to  have  wavered. 
His  trust  in  God  was  strong.  We  are  told  of  Alexander  the 
Great,  that  on  one  occasion  he  was  sick  and  his  physician  had 
prepared  him  a  potion.  A  short  time  before  he  had  received 
a  warning  letter,  telling  him  that  this  very  potion  was  to  con- 
tain poison.  When  the  physician  came  with  the  medicine,  to 
show  how  much  he  trusted  him,  what  perfect  confidence  he  had 
in  his  faithfulness,  he  took  the  cup  and  drank  it  off;  while  at 
the  same  time  he  handed  him  the  letter.  He  thus  trusted  his 
life  to  his  physician,  so  great  was  his  faith  in  him.  The  faith 
of  the  believer  thus  confides  in  God,  however  dark  the  sur- 
roundings. He  says,  ''  Though  he  slay  me,  yet  will  I  trust  in 
kim."  I  have  often  thought  of  faith  in  the  soul  when  looking 
at  a  ship's  compass.  The  ship  might  be  tossing  ever  so  much» 
and  the  restless  sea  heaving,  and  the  waves  rolling  beneath  her  ^ 
but  the  compass  still  keeps  its  place  and  maintains  its  level. 
Plunge  and  toss  here  and  there  the  ship  might,  but  with  tremb^ 
ling  eagerness  the  needle  always  pointed  to  the  pole.  So  is 
faith  in  the  soul  of  the  believer.  Cares  like  a  wild  deluge  might 
come,  and  his  frail  vessel  be  driven  by  fierce  wirtds ;  but  faith 
steadily  turns  to  God — to  Him  who  can  rebuke  the  tempest  and 
make  a  great  calm.  "  Thou  wilt  keep  him  in  perfect  peace 
whose  mind  is  stayed  upon  thee."  O  how  miserable  are  they 
who  have  no  trust  in  God,  no  principle  of  holy  confidence  to 
comfort  them  amid  the  trials  of  life !  Wretched  their  living 
and  their  dying.  When  Rachel,  the  famous  tragic  actress,  was 
dying,  she  ordered  all  her  jewls  and  trinkets  to  be  brought  to 
her  bed-side.  They  were  souvenirs  which  she  had  received 
from  nearly  all  the  crowned  heads  of  Europe,  and  others  of 
her  admirers  ;  and  therefore  reminded  her  of  some  of  her  most 


44  THE    WORLD'S    HOPE. 

brilliant  triumphs.  But  they  could  give  no  comfort  to  the  poor 
soul  on  the  verge  of  eternity.  She  exclaimed  :  "  Why  have  I 
to  part  Vv'ith  all  this  so  soon  ?"  and  expired.  This  Queen  of 
Tragedy,  as  she  was  called,  dying  without  God  and  hope,  is  a 
sad  evidence  of  how  little  the  world  can  do  for  its  worshipers. 
There  is  a  wail  of  bitter  despair  in  the  last  words,  or  among 
the  last  that  she  ever  wrote  :  "  In  a  week  from  now  I  shall  begin 
to  be  devoured  by  the  worms  and  the  biographers." 

The  faith  of  Noah  led  him  to  an  impartial  obedience.  "  He 
did  according  to  all  that  the  Lord  commanded  him."  Ke  did 
not  pick  and  choose  among  the  commands  and  precepts  of  the 
Lord;  obeying  some  and  rejecting  others,  according  as  they 
suited  his  notions,  his  prejudices,  or  his  interests.  This  is  al- 
ways a  fruit  of  true  faith.  It  asks,  "  Lord,  what  wouldst  thou 
have  me  to  do  V  and  as  soon  as  it  knows  the  Master's  will  it  is 
prepared  to  do  it,  whatever  hardship  or  sacrifice  it  may  involve. 
We  must  be  careful  and  conscientious  in  our  search  for  the 
path  of  duty,  and  then  be  prompt  in  following  it.  When  the 
Indians  in  our  forests  are  in  pursuit  of  an  object  upon  which 
they  have  set  their  hearts,  see  how  careful  they  are  to  discover 
the  path  or  trail.  They  will  get  down  upon  their  knees  to  ex- 
amine every  little  bent  twig,  every  faint  foot-print  upon  the 
grass  or  the  withered  leaves,  every  slight  indication  of  the  path 
they  should  take  ;  and  when  satisfied,  av/ay  they  go  with  in- 
creased speed.  If  Christians  v/ould  get  upon  their  knees  and 
study  their  Bibles  to  knov\^  God's  will,  with  the  same  eagerness 
and  diligence,  they  would  not  neglect  so  many  duties,  and  turn 
into  so  many  forbidden  paths  as  they  do.  A  good  man  once 
made  the  remark,  that  religion  in  its  beginning  interests  us  al- 
most entirely  about  ourselves  ;  that  in  its  progress  it  engages  us 
about  our  fellow-men  ;  but  that  in  its  advanced  stages  it  leads 
us  to  consult  in  all  things  the  glory  and  honor  of  God.  This 
is  what  the  faith  of  Noah  led  to,  and  what  strong  faith  always 
leads  to.  As  good  old  Flavel  says,  "  Faith  is  the  means  of  our 
spifitual  livelihood  and  subsistence  ;  all  the  other  graces,  like 
birds  in  a  nest,  depend  upon  v/hat  faith  brings  in  to  them.  It 
provides  our  ordinary  food,  and  our  extraordinary  cordials.' 


NOAH.       A    PREACHER    OF    RIGHTEOUSNESS.  45 

It  is  said  of  Noah,  that  by  his  faith  and  his  consistent  action, 
"  he  condemned  the  world."  This  he  did  not  only  as  a  preacher 
of  righteousness,  but  as  a  holy,  consistent  servant  of  the  true 
God.  Had  he  not  uttered  one  word,  every  nail  he  drove  in 
the  ark  would  have  been  a  condemning  sound  to  the  ungodly. 
As  they  saw  him  going  to  and  fro  about  his  work  ;  as  they  saw 
how  calmly  and  bravely  he  bore  himself  under  their  insults ; 
and  how  meekly  he  lifted  up  his  eyes  to  God  for  help  when  un- 
der peculiar  troubles ;  it  was  a  condemning  power  to  their 
guilty  consciences.  It  said,  "  God  is  true,  though  every  man 
prove  false;  and  upon  his  word  I  respose."  In  like  manner 
sinners  are  still  condemned  by  everything  around  them  that 
speaks  of  God.  The  return  of  the  holy  Sabbath ;  the  sound 
of  the  church-going  bell ;  the  open  door  of  the  sanctuary  ;  the 
sight  of  the  neglected  Bible  lying  upon  the  shelf;  the  sound 
of  prayer  and  praise  floating  to  his  car  from  a  neighbor's  fam- 
ily altar ;  the  sight  of  a  holy  man  passing  on  the  street ;  all 
speak  with  condemning  emphasis  to  the  guilty  heart.  They 
tell  him  of  time  v/asted,  privileges  neglected,  a  precious  soul 
degraded,  and  God  insulted. 

But  the  hour  of  vengeance  has  at  last  come.  The  elements 
of  nature,  at  the  voice  of  their  Creator  assume  a  gloomy  aspect 
and  come  armed  with  destruction.  It  requires  no  great  stretch 
of  imagination  to  think  of  Noah  now  making  his  last  appeal  to 
the  guilty,  with  trembling  voice,  quivering  lips,  and  tearful  eyes  ; 
nor  to  think  of  them  turning  away  from  him  with  louder  scoffs 
and  deeper  insults  than  ever  before.  But  Hark !  what  is  that 
sound  that  arrests  their  departing  footsteps "?  It  is  the  door  of 
the  ark  being  shut,  not  by  the  hand  of  Noah  nor  by  any  of  his 
family,  but  by  the  same  hand  that  planted  the  stars  in  their  or- 
bits and  that  launches  the  thunderbolt.  "  And  the  Lord  shut 
him  in."  Now  hope  is  dead ;  the  last  golden  opportunity  past ; 
the  last  appeal  of  love  made ;  even  God's  great  forbearance 
with  that  vile  race  is  exhausted,  and  swift  destruction  cometh 
among  them.  As  the  waters  rise  higher  and  higher,  sullenly 
and  remorsely  chasing  the  fleeing  sinners  to  the  highest  moun- 
tains, no  doubt  conscience^  from  a  lethargy  deep  and  death- 


46  THE    world's    hope. 

like,  sprung  up  into  life  and  uttered  its  solemn  denunciations. 
And  as  they  are  compelled  to  abandon  the  last  spot  that  prom- 
ised any  safety ;  and  looked  abroad,  as  one  says,  "  upon  a 
shoreless  ocean,  that  from  the  center  to  the  streaming  poles, 
tumbled  round  the  globe;"  how  gladly  would  they  have  list- 
ened to  one  more  offer  of  mercy  from  Noah's  lips,  or  had  him 
offer  for  them  one  prayer  for  mercy.  But  it  is  now  for  ever  too 
late.  The  sweet  voice  of  mercy  was  hushed  amid  the  stern 
and  imperative  demands  of  justice. 

Meantime  how  safe  and  secure  was  Noah  under  the  protec- 
tion of  the  Almighty  !  After  the  Lord  shut  the  door,  his  foes 
were  all  left  behind  him  and  all  was  peace  within.  He  was 
now  the  guest  of  his  heavenly  Friend  who  would  permit  no 
evil  to  befall  him.  A  Divine  hand  was  now  upon  the  helm ; 
an  All  Wise  Pilot  had  now  charge  of  the  vessel  freighted  with 
the  hope  of  a  world.  I  lately  read  a  thrilling  narrative  of  a 
ship  rescued  from  the  jaws  of  destruction  by  the  firmness  and 
wisdom  of  a  good  pilot.  All  the  canvass  she  could  bear  he 
spread  to  the  gale,  and  amid  the  silence  of  an  awful  suspense 
he  drove  her  close  up  to  the  foaming  breakers,  till  all  trembled 
in  fear  of  instant  destruction.  Then  at  the  right  moment, 
quick  as  thought,  he  put  the  ship  on  another  tack,  till  she  ap- 
proached two  dark,  threatening  rocks,  nearer  and  nearer,  till 
the  sea  was  boiling  like  a  cauldron  under  her  bows  ;  but  safely 
she  passed  between  the  rocks,  and  again  headed  toward  the 
foaming  breakers.  This  time  she  was  permitted  to  approach 
so  close  that  it  seemed  impossible  she  could  be  saved ;  but 
again,  a':  the  right  moment,  he  turned  the  laboring  and  strain- 
ing ship  safely ;  and  soon  had  her  lying  in  the  calm  harbor. 
And  no  sooner  was  the  order  given  to  let  go  the  anchor,  than 
the  captain  sprang  forward  and  caught  the  pilot  in  his  arms  ; 
the  sailors  and  passengers  rushed  up  to  express  their  gratitude  ; 
some  hanging  around  his  neck,  some  shaking  his  hands,  some 
embracing  his  knees,  while  tears  streamed  over  the  weather- 
beaten  faces  of  men  that  had  braved  untold  dangers. 

So  we  have  a  good  Pilot  who  will  guide  us  in  the  right  way 
to  the  harbor  of  rest.     It   may  ^eem  to  irs,  at  times,  as  if  we 


NOAH.       A    PREACHER    OF    RIGHTEOUSNESS.  47 

were  being  driven  upon  the  rocks  of  destruction ;  but  that  is 
because  of  our  ignorance  and  unbelief.  When  the  lights  of  our 
households  go  out  one  after  another,  and  sadness  and  desolation 
gather  around  our  hearthstones ;  when  health  fails,  and  busi- 
ness fails,  and  friends  fail,  and  all  around  us  seems  hopeless ; 
it  may,  for  the  moment,  seem  as  if  the  Pilot  had  deserted  us, 
and  was  letting  our  frail  bark  be  the  sport  of  chance,  the  play- 
thing of  the  tempest ;  but  it  is  not  so.  Above  the  hoarse  roar 
of  the  storm  comes  the  cheering  voice,  "  It  is  I,  be  not  afraid." 
As  the  devoted  Judson  said,  "  Every  cup  stirred  by  the  finger 
of  God  becomes  sweet  to  the  humble  believer."  O  believer, 
faint  not,  fear  not,  for  the  harbor  is  just  in  sight !  You  will 
soon  cast  your  anchor  within  the  veil,  amid  peace  and  eternal 
rest. 

Noah's  household  shared  the  blessings  conferred  upon  him. 
"  Come,  thou  and  all  thy  house,  into  the  ark."  It  is  true,  reli- 
gion is  not  a  hereditary,  but  a  personal  matter.  The  piety  of 
the  parent  cannot  suffice  for  the  child  ;  and  yet  there  are  un- 
told privileges  connected  with  a  godly  parentage.  Infinitely 
better  to  have  a  father  rich  in  faith,  than  rich  in  money ;  with 
treasure  laid  up  in  heaven,  than  perishable  treasure  laid  up 
upon  earth.  To  have  the  fervent  prayer  of  a  righteous  parent 
uttered  over  our  cradle ;  the  memory  of  a  holy,  pious  home 
that  sheltered  our  early  years ;  and  the  recollection  of  the  con- 
sistent, saintly  lives  of  the  loved  on-es  who  watched  over  out 
childhood's  weakness,  to  carry  through  life  with  us ;  is  infinitely 
better  than  to  have  riches,  honors  and  titles  descend  to  us 
with  the  remembrance  of  a  godless  youth,  and  the  dreadful 
curse  of  a  neglected  soul.  There  are  multitudes  to-day  in 
heaven,  who  were  brought  to  Jesus  in  answer  to  the  prayers  of 
pious  parents ;  and  now  united  families,  safe  from  the  storms 
and  dangers  of  life,  they  engage  in  the  sinless  worship  of 
eternity. 

Parents,  are  you  trying  to  take  your  offspring  to  the  ark  of 
safety  along  with  you?  A  minister  tells  us  that  when  on  a 
preaching  tour  at  Inverness,  Scotland,  he  was  called  upon  to 
visit  the  cell  of  a  murderer  condemned  to  death.     He  found 


48  THE  world's  hope. 

him  loaded  with  chains,  and  sitting  upon  a  pallet  of  straw.  He 
could  not  get  the  wretched  man  to  look  up,  nor  to  answer  a 
single  question.  When  the  minister  asked  if  he  wished  prayer 
to  be  offered  for  him,  he  muttered  his  consent.  The  criminal's 
mother  had  been  to  see  him  only  a  few  hours  before,  and  to 
her  he  said,  "  Mother,  if  it  had  not  been  for  you,  I  should  not 
have  been  here!"  She  replied,  "  I'm  sure  I  never  told  you  to 
do  any  harm."  With  bitter  emphasis  he  rejoined,  "/  am  sure 
yoit  never  told  me  to  do  any  goody  What  a  dreadful  reproach 
was  this  to  that  mother,  and  how  like  a  dagger  it  must  have 
pierced  her  heart !  It  is  not  enough  that  the  parent  teaches  no 
wrong,  he  inust  give  early  and  timely  religious  instruction ; 
made  pointed  and  practical  by  a  holy  life. 

The  children  of  the  pious  are  in  great  danger  of  hardening 
their  hearts  under  their  privileges.  When  our  very  familiarity 
with  solemn  truth  and  eternal  things  makes  us  indifferent  to 
them,  it  is  a  fearful  sign  of  coming  damnation.  If  one  of 
Noah's  children  had  said,  "  I  am  sick  and  tired  of  hearing 
about  this  flood,  and  of  the  sight  of  that  old  ark ;  I  believe  it 
is  only  a  delusion  of  father's  brain ;  and  I  mean  to  pay  no  at- 
tention to  what  he  says,  and  live  as  other  people  around  me 
do,"  this  would  have  been  a  sure  sign  of  an  abandoned  soul, 
lost  to  all  good ;  and  such  an  one  would  have  sunk  in  the  angry 
waters  under  a  load  of  aggravated  guilt,  enough  to  sink  a 
world.  Only  think  of  sinking  into  hell,  of  spending  eternity 
with  the  recollection  of  a  mother's  prayers  and  a  father's  in- 
structions wrapped  up  in  the  soul ;  and  counting  over  innu- 
merable opportunities  of  salvation  enjoyed  but  neglected,  if 
not  despised. 

Let  us  now  seek  to  draw  some  lessons  from  the  narrative  of 
Noah's  life. 

First,  we  learn  that  God's  goodness,  his  long  forbearance, 
and  his  gracious  Fatherhood,  will  not  hinder  him  from  punish- 
ing incorrigible  sinners.  Some  would  represent  God's  love  as 
being  of  such  a  nature  as  to  exclude  all  punishment  of  sin,  all 
acts  of  his  impartial  justice.  This  arises  from  low  thoughts  of 
God's   character.      They    measure   God   by  themselves    and 


NOAH.       A    TREACHER    OF    RIGHTEOUSNESS.  49 

reason  as  to  v/hat  he  ought  to  do,  from  what  they  think  they 
would  do  themselves.  This  is  an  old  m.istake  of  humanity, 
and  God  takes  notice  of  it  with  high  disapprobation.  "  Thou 
thoughtest  that  I  was  altogether  such  an  one  as  thyself."  He 
alone  can  tell  the  evil  of  sin  as  committed  against  infinite 
purity;  as  contempt  poured  upon  a  perfectly  holy  law  and 
a  righteous  authority.  It  is  not  for  us  to  dictate  to  God  what 
he  ought  or  ought  not  to  do.  We  are  criminals  in  his  holy 
sight,  and  when  the  criminal  criticises  the  law  that  condemns 
him  and  calls  it  too  strict  and  its  penalty  too  severe,  the  wise 
judge  does  not  much  regard  such  utterances.  In  no  govern- 
ment is  it  left  to  those  who  have  broken  the  law  to  say  what 
their  punishment  is  to  be.  God  is  our  Creator,  our  Preserver, 
our  Benefactor.  All  that  we  have,  all  that  we  enjoy,  every 
avenue  of  pleasure  that  we  possess,  we  owe  it  all  to  Him, 
And  the  evil  of  a  whole  life  of  sin  against  such  a  Being  is  so 
great,  that  we  can  no  more  form  an  adequate  conception  of  it, 
than  we  can  measure  the  heavens  with  a  span. 

It  is  absolute  folly,  then,  to  say  that  God  cannot  punish  the 
wicked  with  the  pains  of  hell,  because  he  is  represented  in  the 
Bible  as  the  universal  Father.  God  is  a  moral  Governor,  as 
well  as  a  Father.  He  is  the  great  Lawgiver  and  Judge,  He 
has  holy  laws  to  execute  and  sin  to  punish ;  and  unless  he  does 
so  his  government  v/ould  be  at  an  end,  and  universal  anarchy 
would  rage  through  the  universe.  It  is  the  merest  driveling, 
therefore,  to  object  to  the  punishment  of  hell,  as  revealed  in 
the  Bible,  by  saying,  "  Could  a  loving  father  see  his  child  in 
torment,  and  yet  have  the  power  to  relieve  him,  and  not  do 
so  ?"  God  can  do  many  things  in  infinite  justice  that  it  would 
be  wrong  for  us  to  do.  It  would  have  been  wrong  for  Noah 
to  have  drowned  one  of  those  scoffers  that  mocked  at  him ;  but 
God  drowned  a  world.  It  would  have  been  wrong  for  Lot  to 
have  destroyed  his  sons-in-law ;  but  God  did  it  in  strict  jus- 
tice. It  would  be  wrong  for  us  to  set  fire  to  a  neighbor's  house, 
to  a  ship  at  sea,  or  to  a  city,  knowing  the  dreadful  suffering 
that  must  ensue  ;  but  God  in  his  providence  does  this,  or 
permits  it  to  be  done,  and  who  can  impugn  his  righteous  ways  ? 


so 


THE    WORLD  S    HOPE. 


It  would  be  wrong  for  any  man  to  undermine  a  neighbor's 
house,  so  that  he  and  his  family  would  be  buried  in  the  ruins ; 
but  God  sends  his  earthquakes  rum.bling  through  the  deep 
foundations  of  nature,  and  buries  thousands  in  the  debris.  Is 
not  God,  therefore,  a  God  of  love  ?  Certainly  he  is ;  but  he 
has  a  vast  universe  to  govern  in  justice  and  wisdom  ;  and 
never  do  we  act  more  absurdly  than  when  we  undertake  to 
judge  of  Him  by  ourselves. 

Another  lesson  we  may  learn  is,  that  God  has  provided  an 
ark  of  safety  for  sinners  now,  into  which  they  may  flee  and  be 
safe.  There  is  a  New  Testament  ark  as  well  as  an  Old  Testament 
one.  We,  like  Noah,  are  warned  of  God  of  coming  judg- 
ments. We  are  told  of  a  day  of  vengeance,  a  day  of  wrath, 
that  is  sure  to  come  upon  the  ungodly.  The  Lord  is  coming 
in  flaming  fire,  to  take  vengeance  on  them  that  know  not  God, 
and  that  obey  not  the  Gospel.  And  because  in  infinite  mercy 
he  delays  his  coming,  to  give  the  world  a  longer  space  for  re- 
pentance, sinners  infer  from  this  that  he  is  not  coming  at  all. 
In  the  public  papers,  and  in  every  haunt  of  sin,  as  well  as  in 
many  of  the  halls  of  science,  so  called,  men  curl  their  lips  with 
scorn  at  the  warnings  given  them,  and  utter  many  a  jest,  and 
pen  many  a  witty  paragraph,  at  the  expense  of  those  who  warn 
them  of  the  coming  King  and  the  coming  doom.  But  this  is 
nothing  new.  It  is  as  old  as  sin.  It  is  false  as  the  father  of 
lies.     It  ruined  the  old  world  ;  it  will  ruin  you. 

Sinner  !  I  invite  you  to  an  ark  of  safety.  You  do  not  re- 
quire to  build  it,  it  is  built  already.  You  do  not  need  to  wait 
one  moment,  it  is  finished  and  perfect.  To  enter  it  is  no 
doubtful  experiment,  for  it  has  already  saved  millions ;  it  can 
save  you.  That  ark  is  the  atonement  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  The 
moment  you  enter  it  you  will  have  peace  and  assurance.  You 
will  know  that  you  are  safe.  Did  not  Noah  feel  confident  that 
he  was  safe  v/hen  God  shut  him  in  1  Some  professing  Chris- 
tians walk  in  doubt  and  uncertainty,  and  call  it  humility.  They 
grope  in  the  darkness  of  unbelief,  and  then  give  their  doubts 
and  tormenting  fears  a  holy  name;  thus  calling  their  evil  good. 
But  the  Gospel  does  not,  by  a  .single  word,  encourage  doubt  or 


i 


NOAH.       A    PREACHER    OF    RIGHTEOUSNESS.  51 

uncertainty.  It  brings,  when  believed,  not  trouble,  but  peace  ; 
not  anxiety  but  rest.  It  enables  the  soul  to  come  and  claim 
his  sonship,  and  to  take  his  place  joyfully  in  the  family  of  God. 
A  missionary  in  India  once  knelt  beside  a  dying  man,  whom 
he  supposed  was  still  in  the  darkness  of  heathenism,  and 
whispered  in  his  ear,  "What  is  your  hope.?"  The  dying  man, 
with  a  great  effort,  said  :  "  The  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  cleanseth 
from  all  sin."  Having  uttered  these  words,  he  laid  down  his 
head  and  died.  The  missionary  wondered  where  he  could 
have  got  this  knowledge ;  but  as  he  looked  at  the  body  he  saw 
a  piece  of  paper  grasped  tightly  in  one  of  the  hands.  It  was 
carefully  taken  out,  and  proved  to  be  a  single  leaf  of  the 
Bible  on  which  the  above  words  were  found.  This  precious 
soul  had  found  the  ark  of  safety. 

There  is  room  for  all  in  that  ark.  None  need  stay  away  be- 
cause they  are  sinners.  It  was  for  such  it  was  made.  Our 
sins  are  our  only  qualification  to  enter  it.  Our  only  merit  is 
our  demerit.  You  may  know  all  about  this  ark,  but  that  will 
not  save  you.  You  may  go  round  it  and  be  able  to  tell  its 
dimensions  and  count  every  plank  ;  but  only  those  who  are  tJt 
the  ark  are  to  be  saved.  O  sinner,  enter  now  !  The  Judge  is 
at  the  door.  Already  we  can  hear  the  sound  of  his  chariot- 
wheels.  Convulsions  and  revolutions,  uproar  and  confusion 
among  the  nations  of  the  earth,  herald  his  approach. 

Noah's  ark  landed  him  safely  on  Mount  Ararat,  but  the  ark 
of  salvation  will  land  us  on  the  Mount  of  Glory.  There,  amid 
scenes  of  unimagined  blessedness,  we  shall  look  over  the  way 
that  the  Lord  has  led  us ;  and  in  that  blessed  city,  that  heaven- 
ly Jerusalem,  that  metropolis  of  the  universe,  praise  God  forever 
<br  our  happy  and  blood-bought  home. 

*'  If  my  bark  be  strong, 

If  my  anchor  sure, 
Then  let  billow  upon  billow  beat, 

Am  I  not  secure  ? 
On  the  dreariest,  wildest  sea, 
What  are  winds  to  mo  ? 


.V  THE    WORLD  S    HOPE. 

"  Up  between  the  stars 

Spreads  aight's  tranquil  blue  ; 

Not  one  ruffle,  not  one  Mainkle  there 
Blots  th-^  changeless  hue. 

Storms  of  earth  for  earth  are  given  ; 

But  they  reach  not  heaven  T 


ABRAHAM.       THE    FRIEND    OF    GOD.  53 


CHAPTER  IV. 

ABRAHAM.       THE    FRIEND    OF    GOD. 

"  This  is  the  victory  that  overcometh  the  world,  even  our 
faith."  The  world  has  become  the  seat  of  sin,  a  mass  of  pollu- 
tion, and  therefore,  the  enemy  of  God  and  the  soul  of  man. 
The  world  lieth  in  wickedness,  and  is  not  to  be  loved,  nor 
yielded  to  by  the  Christian,  but  to  oe  overcome.  His  position 
towards  it  is  to  be  one  of  war  ;  of  keen,  stern,  relentless  antag- 
onism. He  must  either  overcome  it,  or  it  will  overcome  him. 
Fight  he  must ;  and  there  can  be  no  peace,  not  even  a  truce, 
till  a  complete  victory  enables  him  to  lay  his  armor  by. 

Now,  the  conquering  principle  in  this  conflict  is  faith.  Weak 
and  feeble  it  may  be,  but  if  it  is  the  right  kind,  that  which 
comes  from  God,  it  will  take  hold  of  the  strength  of  God,  and 
can  never  be  conquered.  A  wild  and  furious  tempest  may 
destroy  the  light-house,  which  is  orly  man's  work ;  but  it  can- 
not extinguish  the  lights  which  God's  own  hand  has  hung  up 
in  the  heavens.  The  man  who  sets  about  conquering  the 
h'orld  in  the  strength  of  his  own  resolution,  or  his  intellectual 
might,  or  with  science  or  knowledge,  will  soon  find  himself 
lying  among  the  heaps  of  its  slain  and  vanquished  victims. 
But  he  who  goes  into  the  field  with  the  shield  of  faith,  comes 
off  more  than  conqueror.  Nothing  more  than  faith  is  needed  ; 
and  nothing  less  will  do.  We  might  have  armies  of  vast  mul- 
titude, and  navies  of  massive  power,  to  fight  for  us ;  but  their 
aid  would  avail  us  nothing  in  this  conflict.  Even  an  angel- 
-iJiost  could  not  help  us  here.  Faitl  alone  can  make  us  invinci- 
ble, and  enable  us  to  stand  in  th-  evil  day  steadfast  and  im- 
movable. 

It   is  not   in   itself  that   faith  has   such   an    all   overcoming 
power.     Its  power  consists  in  the  fact,  that  it  places  us  under 


54  THE    WORLD  S    HOPE. 

the  protection  of  Jehovah.  "  Trust  in  the  Lord  forever,"  it 
says  ;  "  for  in  the  Lord  Jehovah  there  is  everlasting  strength." 
Faith,  then,  teaches  us  to  lean  on  his  strength,  to  trust  his  arm, 
to  shelter  under  his  power,  and  to  draw  all  our  comfort  from 
his  promises.  No  wonder,  then,  that  it  has  such  potency  in  the 
conflict  with  the  world ;  for  "  if  God  be  for  us,  who  can  be 
against  us  .?"  The  sister  of  Mathew  Henry,  the  commentator, 
had  the  following  entry  in  her  diary :  ''  Resolved  to  call 
nothing  mine  but  God."  There  is  where  faith  takes  its  firm 
holds,  and  all  the  convulsions  of  earth  cannot  shake  them  off. 

We  come  now  to  consider  the  life  of  a  man  remarkable  for 
his  faith  ;  Abraham,  the  father  of  the  faithful.  In  him  we  may 
see  faith,  not  as  a  mere  abstraction,  but  embodied  in  a  living 
form,  in  the  person  of  a  man  of  like  passions  with  ourselves, 
and  encompassed  with  uncommon  trials  ;  and  yet  confiding  in 
God  in  the  daikest  hour.  His  faith  was  not  confined  to  great 
occasions  ;  it  was  not  dependent  upon  the  gaze  of  the  world,  nor 
the  applause  of  men ;  it  reached  its  most  sublime  height  when 
alone  with  God  in  the  darkness  of  the  night,  listening  to  a 
command  that  must  have  thrilled  his  v/hole  being.  Indeed, 
his  faith  grew  by  the  severity  of  the  trials  to  v/hich  it  was  sub- 
jected. It  has  often  been  a  cause  of  wonder,  that  good  men,  those 
who  were  very  near  and  very  dear  to  God,  men  like  Abraham, 
that  the  Lord  in  gracious  condescension  called  friend,  should 
yet  be  the  objects  of  such  terrible  trials.  But  that  is  one  of 
God's  ways  of  purifying  them,  and  making  them  distinguished 
examples  of  his  grace. 

And  though  no  amount  of  holy  intimacy  with  God,  no  at- 
tainments in  piety,  no  Christian  graces,  however  brilliant,  can 
exempt  us  from  trials  as  long  as  we  are  in  this  world ;  there 
comes  along  w^ith  them  the  promise,  "  All  things  shall  work  to- 
gether for  good  to  them  that  love  God."  This  is  very  com- 
prehensive. Things  bright  and  things  dark ;  events  that  seem 
to  smile  upon  us  with  prosperity,  and  those  that  frown  with 
adversity;  periods  of  sunshine  and  happiness,  and  then  dark 
days  and  starless  nights ;  things  that  seem  to  bless  and  things 
that  seem  to  curse ;  all  shall  work  for  our  good.     Abraham, 


ABRAHAM.       THE    FRIEND    OF    GOD.  55 

living  amid  such  a  dark  dispensation,  and  yet  showing  such  a 
strong  faith,  should  make  us  ashamed  of  our  unbelief  and 
cause  the  prayer  to  leap  from  our  lips.  "  Lord,  increase  our 
faith." 

The  first  striking  instance  of  Abraham's  faith  that  we  are 
called  upon  to  notice,  is  the  call  to  leave  his  home  and 
kindred,  and  go  forth  not  knowing  whither  he  went.  "  By  faith 
Abraham,  when  he  was  called  to  go  out  into  a  place  which  he 
should  after  receive  for  an  inheritance,  obeyed ;  and  he  went 
out,  not  knowing  whither  he  went."  This  man  of  God  was 
now  seventy-five  years  of  age,  and  had  no  doubt  formed  many 
warm  attachments  in  his  native  land,  that  it  would  require 
great  sacrifices  to  give  up.  But  his  confidence  in  God  led  him 
to  obey  the  Divine  call  at  once.  He  did  not  sit  still  and  ask 
questions  about  the  land  that  he  was  promised.  He  did  not 
ask  if  it  was  a  fertile  country,  with  a  salubrious  climate,  and 
abundance  of  cattle  upon  its  hills,  and  plenty  of  precious  ores 
in  its  mines.?  He  did  not  ask  if  the  scenery  was  beautiful  and 
picturesque  ?  It  was  enough  for  him,  that  God  bid  him  go, 
assured  that  there  is  no  place  so  safe  nor  so  happy  for  a  man 
as  the  place  where  God  would  have  him  to  be. 

God  often  makes  such  calls  upon  his  people  now,  not 
in  an  audible  voice  from  the  heavens,  but  by  his  Word  and  his 
providences.  Whenever  duty  to  God  and  to  truth  require  us  to 
leave  family  and  friends,  the  most  lucrative  business  or  profes- 
sion, all  that  is  pleasant  and  profitable,  we  should  obey  at  once. 
Of  course,  we  should  not  yield  to  mere  fanatical  impulses  or 
romantic  notions;  but  by  prayer  and  the  study  of  the  "Word  of 
God,  find  out  what  is  duty  and  resolutely  pursue  it.  Here  is 
a  young  man  of  decided  talent.  He  has  entered  upon  a  busi- 
ness career  that  in  a  few  years  promises  him  wealth  and  honors. 
But  the  call  of  God  comes,  to  leave  all  and  enter  upon  the  life 
of  a  missionary.  Is  he  willing  to  leave  home  and  friends 
wealth  and  honor,  and  go  to  inhospitable  climes  and  among 
rude  and  barbarous  tribes,  amid  poverty  and  danger,  to  preach 
Christ  crucified  ?  V/ill  he  do  all  this  cheerfully  and  persever- 
ingly,   counting  his  loss   his  gain,  and  glorying  in  his  work  ? 


56  THE    world's    hope. 

If  SO,  he  is  ax:tuated  by  Abraham's  faith  and  shall  have  his 
rev/ard. 

And  the  records  of  the  church  of  God  in  modern  times  has 
many  such  noble  exam^ples.  Here  is  a  fair  daughter  of  fond 
parents,  well  educated,  upon  whom  the  rough  winds  of  adver- 
sity have  not  been  permitted  to  blov/.  She  has  a  home  ot 
elegance  and  comfort,  and  is  the  center  of  a  large  circle  of 
loving  and  loved  friends.  But  God's  voice  calls  her  to  go  from 
home  and  country  and  all  the  refinements  of  the  society  in 
which  she  moves,  to  dv/ell  in  lands  of  dark  heathenism,  and 
to  endure  untold  privations  and  sufferings.  And  by  faith  she 
obeys ;  living  only  to  honor  God  and  leaving  her  dust  in  the 
distant  land  from  which  her  soul  triumphantly  ascended  to 
glory.  These  are  public  examples  of  the  povrer  of  faith ;  but 
there  are  tens  of  thousands  of  God's  children  equally  truthful 
and  obedient  in  the  walks  of  private  life. 

Abraham's  faith  had  yet  another  trial  to  encounter  in  con- 
nection with  his  leaving  his  home.  "When  he  got  to  the  land 
promised,  he  found  that  the  Canaanites  were  still  theie,  that  it 
vv^as  yet  a  land  of  great  wickedness  and  idolatry,  rnd  Ih.at  so 
little  could  he  call  the  land  his,  that  he  had  even  to  buy  a 
grave  in  it.  Is  this  the  land  flowing  with  milk  and  honey,  that 
the  Lord  had  spoken  of.?  It  looked  very  unlike  it,  as  yet ;  but 
still  he  clung  to  the  promise.  Faith  can  afford  to  wait  upon 
God.  Our  prayers  and  our  faith  are  not  always  met  in  the  way 
we  expected.  It  is  ours  to  trust  ;  it  is  God's  to  answer  in  the 
way  his  sovereign  pleasure  sees  best.  The  father  of  the  faithful 
possesses  his  soul  in  patience.  He  does  not  wish  that  he  had 
never  left  the  land  of  the  Chaldeans,  that  he  had  never  left  the 
loved  scenes  of  his  youth.  No,  even  when  trouble  after 
trouble  came  upon  him  in  the  strange  land,  vv'hen  his  father 
died,  and  the  famine  brought  him  to  the  brink  of  starvation, 
h.is  trust  never  seems  to  have  wavered  for  a  moment. 

He  does  not  interpret  God's  word  by  God's  providences,  but 
the  reverse  of  this.  And  this  is  a  most  important  point  for  us 
all.  The  providences  may  be  dark  and  puzzling,  and  some- 
times judging  from  them  we  might  think  that  God  was  going 


ABRAHAM.       THE    FRIEND    OF    GOD.  57 

to  give  US  Up  to  the  enemy;  but  faith  looks  to  the  promise  and 
knoAvs  that  ihc  providences  are  for  his  good,  although  he  can- 
not now  see  it.  If  Job  had  looked  at  the  promises  in  the  light 
of  the  providences  vath  which  he  v/as  encompassed,  he  would 
have  come  to  the  same  conclusion  as  some  of  his  friends,  that 
God  had  forsaken  him  and  was  now  his  enemy.  But  he  did 
not  do  so.  He  clung  to  his  anchorage  on  the  promises,  and 
soon  he  saw  that  the  God  of  the  promises  and  the  God  of 
Providence  is  the  same.  He  may  send  Abraham  into  the 
famine,  and  he  may  send  John  to  the  barren  island  of  Patmos ; 
but  he  v/ill  be  there  to  meet  them.  "  My  presence  will  go 
with  thee,  and  I  will  give  thee  rest."  Some  one  has  compared 
faith  to  a  foundation  laid  deep  and  strong  in  the  P.ock  of 
ages,  and  hope  as  the  beautiful  tapering  spire  which  rises  upon 
that  foundation,  penetrates  the  sky,  and  is  illuminated  by  the 
first  beams  of  the  rising,  and  the  last  rays  of  the  setting  sun. 

After  a  time  the  course  of  Providence  with  Abraham 
changed,  and  prosperity  took  the  place,  of  adversity.  Riches 
began  to  pour  in  upon  him.  Lot,  his  nephew,  also  increased 
in  riches.  But  as  riches  increase  they  bring  an  increase  of 
care,  and  often  of  sorrow.  Thes.*  two  good  men,  who  had 
dwelt  together  in  harmony  and  comfort  in  years  of  hardship 
and  trial,  were  on  the  verge  of  being  brought  into  an  unseemly 
strife  by  their  increasing  possessions.  Alas  !  in  how  many 
families  have  the  fires  of  unholy  passion,  and  envy,  and  strife, 
broken  out  in  words  of  bitter  hatrc  d,  even  over  the  dead  body 
of  a  father,  about  the  division  of  the  property.  As  my  object 
is  not  to  write  a  life  of  Abraham,  l:ut  to  notice  those  points  in 
his  history  in  which  his  faith  stands  out  prominently,  I  cannot 
dv/ell  here;  but  only  refer  to  hn  noble,  generous,  yielding 
spirit,  as  a  proof  of  the  heavenly  nature  of  his  faith.  A  living 
faith  always  brings  forth  good  works  and  by  this  alone  is  its 
divine  origin  proven.  Hov/  we  admire  the  kin.d,  tender,  judi- 
cious temper  of  this  great  man,  as  he  says  to  Lot,  '*  Let  there 
be  no  strife,  I  pray  thee,  between  thee  and  me,  and  betv/een 
thy  herdmen  and  my  herdmen  ;  for  we  be  brethren.  Is  not 
the  whole  land  before  thee  ?     Separate  thyself,  I  pray  thee, 


58  THE  world's  hope. 

from  me ;  if  thou  wilt  take  the  left  hand,  then  I  will  go  to  the 
right ;  or  if  thou  depart  to  the  right  hand,  then  I  will  go  to 
the  left." 

Hov/  easily  the  flames  of  a  long  and  unseemly  contention 
could  have  been  fanned  up  on  this  occasion.  An  obstinate 
tenaciousness  of  purpose,  a  swaggering,  self-conceited  deter- 
mination to  gain  the  victory,  a  proud,  haughty  craving  for 
superiority,  under  the  pretense  of  standing  up  for  just  rights, 
could  have  made  of  this  a  life-long  quarrel.  For  want  of  the 
conciliatory  spirit  here  manifested  many  a  church  has  been 
rent  by  division,  and  the  cause  of  truth  made  a  by-word  and  a 
reproach  among  the  wicked.  "A  soft  answer  turneth  away 
wrath ;"  and  it  is  the  spirit  of  true  religion  to  be  "  kindly  affec- 
tioned  one  to  another,  v/ith  brotherly  love,  in  honor  prefering 
one  another." 

But  I  come  now  to  notice  a  still  more  striking  proof  of 
Abraham's  faith.  The  spirit  of  faith  is  always  the  spirit  of 
prayer  and  intercession.  Faith  in  God  Avill  produce  conver'se 
with  God  and  a  deep  anxiety  for  perishing  souls  around  us. 

The  narrative  of  Abraham's  intercession  on  behalf  of  guilty 
Sodom,  opens  with  a  lovely  picture  of  hospitality.  The  sun  is 
in  his  noon-day  splendor,  and  all  nature  seems  to  languish  in 
his  vertical  rays.  The  flocks  and  their  herdsmen  seek  the 
shade  of  some  lofty  over-hanging  rock  or  some  broad-leaved 
tree.  The  father  of  the  faithful  is  sitting  in  the  door  of  his 
tent  looking  out  upon  the  calm  face  of  nature,  and  with  a 
heart  at  peace  with  the  God  on  v/hose  works  he  gazes.  A 
hundred  years  have  passed  over  his  head,  and  have  left  him 
still  active  in  every  good  work,  and  rich  in  experience  of  his 
Lord's  faithfulness. 

He  had  not  sat  there  long  till  three  men,  strangers  to  him 
as  far  as  he  could  see,  made  their  appearance.  With  the  alac- 
rity of  a  young  man,  and  with  kind  consideration  for  the 
wants  of  the  strangers,  he  runs  out  to  meet  them  and  shows 
them  the  utmost  courtesy.  Vv'ith  the  aid  of  his  good  wife  an 
ample  repast  is  soon  provided  for  them,  as  they  sit  in  the 
cooling  shade,  and  he  stands  respectfully  beside  them  while 


ABRAHAM,       THE    FRIEND    OF    GOD.  59 

they  partake  of  his  hospitality.  To  some  this  might  seem  a 
very  little  matter ;  but  God  took  notice  of  it  and  gives  it  an 
honorable  record  in  His  Book;  and  a  thousand  years  after  it 
is  referred  to  by  an  inspired  Apostle,  "  Be  not  forgetful  to  en- 
tertain strangers,  for  thereby  some  have  entertained  angels 
unawares."  V/hat  must  have  been  the  amazement  of  the  Pa- 
triarch when  he  made  the  discovery  that  one  of  these  visitors 
was  the  Lord  of  Glory !  The  same  who  had  appeared  to  him 
before  in  comforting  assurances  and  gracious  promises.  And 
how  must  his  heart  have  rejoiced  v^^hen  from  the  same  lips  was 
given  him  the  promise  of  a  son,  in  whom  all  nations  of  the 
earth  were  to  be  blessed. 

The  visitors  now  turn  their  faces  toward  Sodom  and  Abra- 
ham accompanies  them.  The  Lord  discloses  to  him  that  the 
object  of  approaching  that  vile  city  was  one  of  wrath  and  ven- 
geance. The  cry  of  their  iniquity  had  come  up  before  the 
Lord,  and  now  his  sword  of  vengeance  is  in  his  hand  ;  but  be- 
fore the  stroke  descends  the  man  of  faith  begins  to  pray.  As 
the  adorable  Saviour  from  the  mount  of  Olives  looked  down 
on  the  doomed  city  of  Jerusalem  and  wept  over  it,  so  the 
patriarch  looked  down  upon  these  cities  of  the  plain  with 
deep  anguish,  and  begins  to  plead  for  them.  Ah !  there  may 
be  some  hope  for  them  yet,  for  along  with  the  cry  of  their 
blasphemy  and  their  foul  crimes,  there  has  begun  to  go  up  the 
prayer  of  faith.  It  is  a  startling  sign  of  a  sinner's  state  when 
good  people  have  stopped  praying  for  him — when,  discouraged, 
they  cease  to  expect  God  to  hear.  "  I  once  had  a  pious  sister 
that  prayed  for  me,"  said  a  young  man,  "but  she  is  dead,  and 
I  have  no  one  to  pray  for  me  now  !"  Sodom  has  one  yet  to 
plead  for  her,  one  who  no  doubt  had  done  so  before ;  but 
alas !  he  is  now  offering  the  last  prayer  that  will  ever  go  up 
for  her  salvation. 

Prayer  is  an  awfully  solemn  act  at  all  times,  but  in  the  case 
of  Abraham  it  v/as  peculiarly  so.  He  was  in  the  personal 
presence  of  the  Lord.  Yonder  was  the  guilty  multitude, 
among  whom  he  had  some  friends  and  acquaintances,  and 
above  them  the  cloud  of  wrath  hung  suspended.     And,  O  how 


6o  THE    world's    hope. 

glorious  does  the  man  of  God  appear  as,  rising  from  the  dust 
of  humility,  he  begins  to  plead  !  Great  things  depend  on  that 
one  prayer.  If  it  does  not  avail  to  save  the  cursed  city, 
nothing  else  can.  The  city  might  be  surrounded  with  nvighty 
armies,  led  by  the  most  skillful  generals,  but  one  fiake  of  the 
Almighty  wrath  would  have  consumed  them.  They  would 
have  melted  away  like  snow-flakes  falling  into  a  fiery  furnace. 
They  might  have  surrounded  their  city  with  the  strongest  for- 
tresses, and  with  a  wall  of  iron ;  but  all  v.-ould  have  been,  be- 
fore the  breath  of  the  Lord,  like  great  heaps  of  chaff  before 
a  whirlwind.  Prayer  is  the  only  instrumentality  nov/  to  which 
any  hope  can  be  attached  in  this  case. 

And  it  is  a  delightful  study  to  notice  the  heavenly  art  with 
which  this  good  man  orders  his  cause  before  God.  The  Divine 
Spirit,  then  as  well  as  now,  m.ade  intercession  within  good 
men,  and  imparted  to  them  that  holy  sagacity  and  heavenly 
skill  in  presenting  their  case  before  the  Lord,  that  made  them 
mighty  in  prayer.  Abraham  takes  a  humble  position  in  the 
Divine  presence  ;  "  I  have  taken  upon  me  to  speak  to  God, 
who  ami  but  dust  and  ashes."  Ke  speaks  as  if  he  were  an  in- 
habitant of  the  guilty  city,  and  v/ere  pleading  for  his  own  life 
as  well  as  that  of  his  neighbors.  lie  prayed  as  a  guilty  man 
pleading  for  guilty  men.  There  v/as  nothing  of  the  "  I  am 
holier  than  thou  "  feeling  about  him. 

Then,  as  a  proof  of  his  confidence  in  the  Lord,  it  is  said 
that  he  drew  near ;"  just  as  we  have  seen  a  loving  child  draw 
near  to  his  father,  when  he  has  an  important  request  to  present. 
He  also  expresses  the  utmost  confidence  in  the  righteous  and 
merciful  governmxent  of  God  ;  "  Shall  not  the  Judge  of  all  the 
earth  do  right  ?"  He  w^ell  knew  how  guilty  Sodom  had  be- 
come ;  hov/  loud  v/as  the  cry  for  vengeance  which  her  sins  for 
many  long,  rebellious  years  had  sent  up  to  heaven  ;  but  he  also 
knew  that  the  m.ercy  of  God  was  above  the  heavens,  and  he 
took  his  stand  upon  that  ground. 

This  prayer  evinces  great  love  for  perishing  souls.  He  had 
a  loathing — an  intense  hatred  for  their  sins ;  but  at  the  same 
time  a  deep  love  for  the  sinners.     Could  his  tears  or  even  his 


ABRAHAM.       THE    FRIEND    OF    GOD.  6l 

blood  have  saved  them,  they  would  have  been  freely  given. 
This  was  the  truly  Christ-like  spirit.  It  reminds  us  of  Jesus 
pleading  for  his  revilers,  nay,  even  his  murderers;  hating  their 
sins,  and  yet  loving  their  souls  with  a  depth  of  love  that  we 
can  form  no  conception  of  in  our  most  spiritual  moments. 

It  v/as  this  spirit  of  love  for  their  souls  that  made  Abraham 
so  importunate  in  his  prayer,  and  so  persevering.  He  asks  not 
merely  once,  but  many  times.  He  rises  in  his  requests  as  the 
Lord  condescends  to  answer  him,  till  he  gains  the  assurance 
that  the  city  will  be  spared  if  even  ieji  righteous  persons  can 
be  found  in  it.  He  charitably  hopes  that  at  least  that  number 
might  be  found  there  ;  but  alas  !  no ;  there  is  not  even  that 
little  quantity  of  salt  in  the  midst  of  the  general  corruption. 
He  had  not  pleaded  for  the  sake  of  the  wicked,  for,  as  Mathew 
Henry  says,  "Wickedness  shuts  the  mouth  of  intercession.'' 
And  when  he  found  that  there  was  such  a  general,  almost 
universal  moral  pollution  in  Sodom,  he  ceased  to  plead. 
"And  the  Lord  went  his  way,  as  soon  as  he  had  left  commun- 
ing with  Abraham.  The  doom  of  the  city  is  now  sealed. 
The  only  righteous  person  there  is  saved  by  miraculous  pov/er, 
in  answer  to  Abraham's  intercession ;  and  then  the  wrath  of 
God  falls  upon  the  guilty.  Hov/  glorious  to  think  of  Christ  as 
our  ever  living  Intercessor,  appearing  in  the  presence  of  God 
for  us!  It  is  good  to  have  a  pious  neighbor  to  plead  for  us; 
but  oh,  how  infinitely  better  to  have  the  Divine  Advocate  to 
undertake  our  case  and  plead  our  cause !  Blessed  are  they 
v/ho  have  such  a  Friend  in  court. 

We  come  novv^  to  consider  the  great  trial  of  Abraham's  faith, 
the  call  to  offer  up  his  son.  When  he  was  well  advanced  in 
years  he  v/as  cheered  by  the  promise  of  a  son  ;  a  promise  that 
was  fulfilled  to  him  in  the  hundredth  year  of  his  eventful  life. 
We  can  in  some  measure  imagine  the  joy  of  this  old  couple  as 
they  held  this  precious  gift  of  Heaven  in  their  arms;  and 
raised  their  tearful  eyes  to  heaven  in  gratitude.  And  v/e  can 
conceive  of  the  tender  love  with  which  they  v/ould  surround 
one  in  whom  so  many  hopes  were  centered.  He  has  at  last 
passed  through  all  the  perils  of  childhood  and  youth,  and  has 


62  THE    world's    HOPE. 

reached  a  vigorous  manhood ;  when  the  same  voice  that  had 
spoken  to  Abraham  in  the  land  'of  Ur,  comes  again  with  a 
most  startling  communication.  "  Take  now  thy  son,  thine 
only  son  Isaac,  v/hom  thou  lovest,  and  get  thee  into  the  land 
of  Moriah  ;  and  offer  him  there  for  a  burnt  offering  upon  one 
of  the  mountains  which  I  will  tell  thee  of." 

Can  we  imagine  anything,  under  the  circumstances,  more 
trying  than  this  ?  We  have  seen  that  he  had  a  firm  faith  in 
God's  veracity,  and  unshaken  trust  in  the  Divine  faithfulness ; 
but  will  his  confidence  stand  such  a  shock  as  this.^  Yes; 
even  now  he  staggers  not  through  unbelief.  He  feels  shut  up 
to  but  one  course,  and  that  is  obedience  to  the  good  and  per- 
fect will  of  the  Most  High.  It  is  true,  that  for  the  time  his 
brightest  hopes  are  blasted,  his  plans,  in  regard  to  the  dear 
youth,  are  all  crushed  ;  but  he  was  confident  that  his  Lord's 
promises  would  all  be  fulfilled  to  him,  even  if  it  were  by  raising 
Isaac  up  from  the  dead.  That  must  have  been  a  memorable 
night  in  the  history  of  the  Patriarch.  We  may.  well  believe 
that  sleep  was  driven  from  his  pillow ;  and  that,  as  he  thought 
of  that  bright  young  man,  who  had  been  so  long  the  light  of 
his  home,  the  joy  of  his  heart,  stretched  out  before  him  a  bloody 
corpse,  tried  nature  would  extort  many  a  groan.  Of  his 
breaking  the  matter  to  Sarah,  and  of  the  parting  of  the  son 
with  the  loving  mother,  nothing  is  said ;  but  silence  is  here 
true  eloquence. 

We  can  imagine  many  things  that  Abraham  might  have  said, 
many  arguments  that  he  might  have  urged  to  excuse  himself 
from  this  painful  duty.  But  he  said  nothing.  "  I  was  dumb,  I 
opened  not  my  mouth;  because  Thou  didst  it."  His  obe- 
dience was  prompt.  Early  in  the  morning  he  rose  and  made 
preparation  for  his  long  journey.  He  does  not  say,  "  I  will 
consider  the  matter  a  few  weeks  or  months."  He  does  not  go 
round  to  his  pious  friends  and  ask  their  advice  upon  this  im- 
portant point.  He  felt  sure  that  it  was  the  plain  command  of 
God  which  he  heard ;  and  that  is  enough  for  him.  I  have 
heard  people  say  when  there  was  a  plain  duty  before  them,  "  I 
do  not  feel  like  doing  this."     As  if  their  feelings  were  to  be 


ABRAHAM.       THE    FRIEND    OF    GOD.  63 

the  standard  of  right,  and  not  the  plainly  revealed  will  of 
heaven.  If  Abraham  had  acted  on  this  principle  he  would  have 
made  no  movement  towards  the  Mount  of  sacrifice.  Such  a 
principle,  if  acted  upon,  would  strike  w^ith  paralysis  the  whole 
framework  of  active,  pious  enterpris'e.  True  faith  asks  nothing 
more  than  a  "  Thus  saith  the  Lord ;"  and  upon  that  it  leans  for 
support. 

Abraham's  obedience  was  persevering.  He  sets  forth  upon 
a  three  days'  journey  ;  so  that  if  he  had  started  under  the  influ- 
ence of  a  sudden  impulse,  there  was  ample  time  for  it  to  cool 
under  the  influence  of  mature  reflection.  But  the  principle 
under  v/hich  he  started,  was  faith  in  God ;  and  that,  like  its 
source,  is  immutable.  We  may  waver  and  falter  in  the  path  of 
duty,  because  of  the  weakness  of  our  nature ;  but  so  far  as  we 
have  faith  at  all,  it  fakes  hold  of  the  unchanging  God,  and  can- 
not be  carried  about  by  every  wind.  At  last,  on  the  third  day, 
"Abraham  lifted  up  his  eyes  and  saw  the  place  afar  off." 
Mount  Moriah  burst  upon  his  view,  the  same  Mount  upon 
which,  many  ages  after,  Solomon  built  a  temple  to  the  Lord. 
Here,  having  told  his  servants  to  abide  at  the  foot  of  the  Mount, 
he  and  his  son  climb  its  rugged  sides ;  the  son  carrying  the 
wood  for  the  burnt  offering,  while  the  father  has  in  his  hands 
the  fire  and  the  knife. 

The  summit  is  reached,  and  we  can  imagine  that  we  see  the 
man  of  God  stand  in  deep  reflection,  with  a  countenance  sol- 
emn and  sad.  The  silence  is  broken  by  the  voice  of  the  son  : 
"  Behold,  the  fire  and  the  wood,  but  where  is  the .  Lamb  for  a 
burnt  offering  ?"  O,  how  these  words  must  have  wTung  the 
heart  of  the  father  v/ith  unspeakable  anguish  !  But  command- 
mg  his  voice,  though  it  may  be  Vv'ith  quivering  lips,  he  replies, 
"  My  son,  God  will  provide  himself  a  lamb  for  a  burnt  offer- 
ing." As  Isaac  was  now  twenty-five  years  of  age,  according 
to  the  best  calculation,  he  must  have  been  informed  of  the 
command  of  God,  and   have  yielded  to  it  a  calm  acquiesence. 

The  Jewish  historian,  Josephus,  presents  us  with  the  remarks 
made  by  the  father  to  the  son  on  this  occasion,  v/hich  as  they  are 
not  found  in  the   Book   of  God,  are  only  imaginary ;   and  yet 


64  THE  world's  hope. 

are  so  pathe-tic  and  natural  that  they  deserve  to  be  quoted  :— 
"  O  my  son,  begged  of  God  in  a  thousand  prayers,  and  at 
length  unexpectedly  obtained  ;  ever  since  you  were  born,  with 
what  tenderness  and  solicitude  have  I  brought  you  up  !  Pro- 
posing to  myself  no  higher  felicity  than  to  see  you  become  a 
man,  and  to  leave  you  the  heir  of  my  possessions.  But  the 
God  who  bestowed  you  upon  me  demands  you  again.  Prepare, 
then,  to  yield  the  sacrifice  with  alacrity.  I  give  you  up  to  him 
who,  at  all  seasons  and  in  all  situations,  has  prosecuted  us  v/ith 
loving-kindness  and  tender  mercy.  You  came  into  the  world 
under  the  necessity  of  dying;  and  the  manner  of  your  death 
is  to  be  singular  and  illustrious,  presented  in  sacrifice  by  your 
own  father  to  the  great  Father  of  all ;  who,  we  may  presume, 
considers  it  as  unfit  and  unbecoming  that  you  should  depart 
out  of  this  life  by  disease,  in  war,  or  by  any  other  of  the  usual 
calamities  to  which  human  nature  is  subject,  but  who  waits  tc> 
receive  your  spirit  as  it  leaves  the  body,  amidst  the  prayers  and 
vows  of  your  affectionate  parent,  that  he  m.ay  place  it  in  per- 
fect blessedness  vv^ith  himself.  There  you  shall  still  be  the 
consolation  and  support  of  my  old  age,  not  indeed  by  your 
presence  and  conversation,  but  bequeathing  me,  when  you  de- 
part, the  presence  and  the  blessing  of  the  Almighty."  To  this 
Isaac  is  represented  as  answering :  "  I  should  be  unrworthy  of 
life  were  I  capable  of  showing  reluctance  to  obey  the  will  of 
my  father  and  my  God.  It  were  enough  for  me  that  my  earthly 
parent  alone  called  me  to  the  altar,  how  much  more  when  my 
heavenly  Father  re-demands  his  own .''" 

See  Isaac,  then,  bound  upon  the  altar.  The  father's  hand  is 
lifted  up  and  firmly  grasping  the  glittering  blade,  when  the 
voice  from  heaven  at  once  arrests  the  descending  blow.  "  Lay 
not  thy  hand  upon  the  lad,  neither  do  thou  anything  unto  him." 
God  had  indeed  provided  himself  a  lamb  for  a  burnt  ofi'ering. 
A  ram  was  seen  caught  in  a  thicket  by  the  horns;  and  vv'ith 
Vv'hat  overflowing  gratitude  must  that  offering  have  been  pre- 
sented by  both  father  and  son  !  The  descent  from  that  Mount 
was  a  joyful  one. 


ABRAHAM.       THE    FRIEND    OF    GOD.  65 

This  narrative  has  been  much  criticised  by  infidels;  and 
there  seems  to  me  to  be,  on  the  part  of  some  Christian  writers, 
an  unnecessary  haste  to  rush  in  with  supposed  reasons,  and 
seeming  apologies  for  the  Divine  conduct.  Who  are  v/e  that 
v.-e  should  set  ourselves  up  to  explain  God's  motives  for  doing 
this,  or  not  doing  that !  The  High  and  Lofty  One  that  inhab- 
iteth  eternity,  needs  not  our  explanations  and  our  apologies  for 
his  conduct.  We  are  to  examine  the  evidences  that  He  gives 
us  that  the  Bible  is  a  revelation  from.  Himself  And  these  are 
full  and  overpowering.  They  are  such  as  have  defied  the 
attacks  of  infidelity  in  every  age  ;  and  now,  amid  the  light  of 
the  present  century,  stand  firmer  than  ever.  These  evidences 
are  such  as  to  convince  any  honest  mind,  when  candidly  exam- 
ined, that  the  Bible  is  a  revelation  to  man  from  God ;  and  hav- 
ing received  it  as  such,  let  us  believe  its  teachings  and  facts, 
whether  w^e  can  understand  the  reasons  for  them  or  not.  It 
seems  to  me  beneath  the  dignity  of  truth  to  run  after  every 
empty  caviler  with  explanations,  and  almost  apologies,  for  Je- 
hovah's acts.  And  generally  its  only  result  is  to  build  them 
up  in  their  pride  and  to  make  them  think  themselves  of  im- 
mense consequence.  Let  it  be  ours,  like  Abraham,  to  believe 
because  God  has  spoken  ;  knowing  that  many  things  that  must 
be  dark  to  our  puny  minds,  are  bright  and  clear  to  the  Divine 
wisdom. 

It  is  on  the  same  principle  that  some  are  ready  to  gather  up 
every  little  crumb  of  praise  that  certain  distinguished  men, 
many  of  them  very  bad  men,  choose  to  drop  in  favor  of  Christ- 
ianity.  One  vile  sinner,  a  man  of  great  talent,  no  doubt,  uttered 
a  few  words  of  praise  of  Christ's  character  ;  and  a  fallen  and 
exiled  warrior,  v/ho  never  seems  to  have  cared  for  any  God 
but  himself,  does  the  same;  and  their  remarks  are  taken  up 
and  reiterated,  as  if  Christianity  and  its  Author  were  laid  under 
great  obligation  to  these  men  for  their  condescending  praise. 
We  are  told  of  a  great  statesman,  who  perhaps  never  prayed  in 
his  life,  expressing  his  admiration  for  the  Lord's  prayer  as  a 
wonderful  composition  ;  and  of  a  great  poet  and  a  great  sin- 
ner, too,   extolling  the  pure  morality  of  the  Bible.     All  this 


66  THE    ^V^^RLD'S    HOPE. 

subserviency  to  wicked  and  infidel  men  is  uncalled  for.  God 
will  vindicate  his  own  character,  and  carry  on  his  own  cause, 
without  going  to  the  devil's  servants  to  borrow  capital  for  that 
purpose.  "  Is  not  my  word  a  fire  and  a  hammer  .^  saith  the 
Lord/'     "  Not  by  might,  nor  by  power,  but  by  my  spirit," 

We  have  seen  the  power  and  triumph  of  faith  in  leading 
Abraham  to  give  up  his  own  will  to  the  will  of  God.  All  sin 
consists  in  opposition  to  that  will ;  while,  on  the  other  hand,  all 
holiness  is  to  be  found  in  a  ready  obedience  to  the  known  will 
of  Jehovah.  It  is  especially  in  our  will  that  our  individuality 
lies ;  and  when  that  is  given  up  to  our  Heavenly  Father,  it  car- 
ries the  whole  power  of  the  soul  with  it.  Man  may  wish  to 
make  some  reserve,  and  think  that  he  can  be  religious  without 
such  an  entire  surrender  of  his  whole  will  to  God,  but  the 
faith  that  works  by  love,  leads  the  soul  to  say,  '*  I  am  not  my 
own  ;  I  am  bought  with  a  price,"  It  is  willing  at  the  command 
of  God,  to  bring  forth  its  beloved  Isaacs  and  bind  them  upon 
the  altar  of  sacrifice.  The  trial  may  be  severely  felt ;  it  may 
tear  its  way  through  every  fiber  of  his  nature  :  but  faith  and 
love  enable  him  to  say,  "  Not  my  will,  but  Thine  be  done."' 

When  the  patriarch  returned  home  with  his  son  still  alive, 
with  the  approving  voice  of  God  sounding  in  his  ears,  and  his 
own  conscience  echoing  that  voice,  we  would  be  ready  to  say 
that  his  troubles  are  now  all  over.  He  is  rich  in  worldly 
goods,  his  domestic  relations  are  happy,  and  it  seems  as  if  a 
serene  old  age  is  closing  in  upon  him  without  a  single  cloud 
in  his  sky.  But  life  to  all  is  a  mixed  state,  a  state  of  joys  and 
sorrows,  of  pains  and  pleasures,  of  sunshine  and  cloud,  of  storm 
and  calm.  The  Lord  has  still  in  reserve  for  his  aged  servant 
sorrows  and  trials,  to  keep  his  faith  vigorous  and  bright,  and 
to  make  him  feel  that  earth  is  not  his  home,  and  to  lead  him 
to  look  more  earnestly  for  that  "  city  that  hath  foundatio'^is, 
whose  builder  and  maker  is  God." 

Accordingly  we  find  that  one  day  there  is  great  sorrow  in  the 
vale  of  Merare.  The  face  of  the  father  of  the  faithful  is  heavy 
with  sorrow.  Death  has  entered  his  happy  dwelling,  and  he 
stands  gazing  in  speechless  anguish  upon  the  fixed  and  placid 


ABRAHAM.       THE    FRIEND    OF    GOD.  67 

features  of  his  dead  wife.  Yes  ;  the  loved  one  who  had  been 
so  long  the  light  of  his  dwelling,  who  had  come  with  him  from 
her  native  land,  who  had  been  his  faithful  companion  alike  in 
poverty  and  riches,  who  had  shared  with  him  his  wanderings 
and  his  trials,  and  had  been  the  earthly  comfort  of  his  life,  now 
sleeps  her  last,  long  sleep.  We  do  not  hear  that  he  wept  when 
the  sacrifice  of  his  son  was  demanded ;  but  he  weeps  now. 
And  those  tears  are  honorable  to  him,  and  a  silent  tribute  to 
the  worth  of  the  loved  one  that  is  gone.  Gloomy  to  him  now 
are  the  scenes  of  Kerjath-arba. 

There  are  few  sights  more  affecting  than  the  utter  sadness 
and  desolation  of  an  old  man,  when  the  wife  of  his  youth  is 
taken  away.  He  feels  that  a  part  of  himself  is  gone.  Others 
may  be  kind,  but  the  one  that  understood  all  his  ways  and  an- 
ticipated all  his  wants,  is  gone ;  and  he  sits  for  hours  in  a 
helpless  kind  of  state,  gazing  at  the  vacant  chair.  And  when 
we  are  told  that  he  has  soon  been  called  to  join  the  loved  one 
in  heaven,  we  heave  a  sigh  of  relief. 

In  commenting  upon  Abraham's  faith,  the  apostle  Paul  says  : 
"  For  what  saith  the  Scripture  ?  Abraham  believed  God,  and  it 
was  counted  unto  him  for  righteousness."  He  then  goes  on  in 
a  most  masterly  argument  to  prove  that  faith,  not  works,  is  the 
only  method  of  justification  before  God.  He  shows  that  if  he 
was  justified  by  works  he  would  have  had  something  in  which 
to  glory  before  God ;  but  that,  being  justified  by  faith,  his  sal- 
vation was  all  of  grace,  and  consequently  cut  off  all  possibility 
of  glorying  in  self  Abraham  was  not  merely  the  father  and 
head  of  the  Israelitish  people  according  to  the  flesh  ,  but  he 
was  the  head  of  a  spiritual  people,  that  is  such  as  had  his 
faith.  "  They  who  are  of  faith,  the  same  are  the  children  of 
Abraham."  In  our  Lord's  days  on  earth,  he  met  with  many 
self^deceivers,  who,  building  upon  a  hereditary  religion,  sup- 
posed they  v/ere  safe  because  they  had  Abraham  for  their 
father ;  but  our  adorable  Savior  rebuked  them  in  the  terrible 
words,  "Ye  are  of  your  father  the  Devil,  for  his  works  ye  do." 
It  was  revealed  to  the  Patriarch  that  a  descendant  of  his,  ac- 
cording to  the  flesh,  was  to  be  the  Savior  of  the  world.     He 


68  THE    WORLD  S    HOPE 

believed  in  that  promised  Savior,  and  was  justified  tlirough 
that  faith  ;  and  so  are  all  who  have  the  same  faith,  The  reve- 
lation was  dim  and  indistinct;  but  notwithstanding  he  saw 
Christ's  day,  though  afar  off,  and  was  glad.  He  believed 
simply  because  God  had  promised.  That  was  the  only  ground 
he  had  to  rest  upon,  for  everything  of  an  outward  kind  was 
against  his  faith. 

If  Abraham  had  such  firm  faith,  even  amid  the  dark  and 
shadowy  dispensation  in  which  he  lived,,  how  should  this  re- 
buke the  unbelief  of  those  who  live  amid  the  blaze  of  Gospel 
light!  The  gospel  trumpet  blows  in  the  ear  of  the  slumbering 
sinner,  many  a  warning  blast ;  but  he  heeds  them  not.  Faith 
is  the  same  now  that  it  ever  was.  The  truth  to  be  believed 
is  the  same.  The  hell  to  be  escaped  from  is  the  same.  The 
Savior  that  alone  can  save  from  sin  and  its  consequence,  is 
the  same.  But  the  light  we  possess  now  is  so  much  brighter, 
the  means  of  grace  are  so  much  more  abundant,  the  calls  to 
flee  from  the  wrath  to  come  are  so  much  more  pressing,  that 
he  who  rejects  them  all,  will  go  into  eternity  with  a  load  of 
guilt  upon  his  soul  so  deep  and  damning  that  we  feel  lost 
amid  the  very  horror  of  the  thought  I 

"  I  worship  Thee,  sv/eet  will  of  God, 

And  all  thy  ways  adore  ; 
And  every  day  I  live  I  long 

To  love  Thee  more  and  more. 

"  Man's  weakness  waiting  upon  God, 

It's  end  can  never  miss  ; 
For  man  on  eartli  no  -work  can  do 

More  angel-like  than  this. 

"  He  always  v/ins  who  sides  with  God, 

To  him  no  chance  is  lost ; 
God's  will  is  sweetest  to  him  when 

It  triumphs  at  his  cost. 

"Ill,  that  God  blesses,  is  our  good, 

And  unblest  good  is  ill, 
And  all  is  right  that  seems  most  wrong, 

If  It  be  his  dear  will ! 

"  When  obstacles  and  trials  seem 

Like  prison-walls  to  be, 
I  do  the  little  I  can  do, 

And  leave  the  rest  to  Thee." 


ISAAC.       THE    CHILD    OF    PROMISE.  69 


CHAPTER  V. 

ISAAC.       THE    CHILD    OF    PROMISE. 

Abraham  died  and  was  gathered  to  his  people.  "  One  gen- 
eration passeth  away,  and  another  cometh."  Such  is  the  law 
of  our  being,  and  from  it  there  is  no  appeal.  We  find  ourselves 
surrounded  by  the  monuments  of  past  generations,  and  know 
assuredly  that  we  are  hastening  on  to  join  them  in  their  long 
sleep  of  death.  Abraham,  after  his  busy  life  of  care  and  trial, 
sleeps  in  death  beside  his  beloved  Sarah ;  every  jarring  sound 
hushed,  every  storm  blown  over,  and  resting  in  hope  of  a 
blessed  resurrection.  The  dust  of  God's  saints  is  precious 
in  his  sight,  and  is  safely  guarded  under  the  care  of  his  Om- 
nipotence. Whether  they  repose  in  their  ancestral  sepulchers, 
or  in  far  distant  lands,  laid  in  their  graves  by  stranger  hands ; 
whether  they  sink  into  ocean's  unfathomable  depths,  or  are  re- 
duced to  ashes  by  devouring  fire ;  at  the  appointed  time  their 
Lord  shall  bring  them  forth  in  glory  and  honor. 

Abraham  is  laid  to  rest  in  the  cave  of  Machpelah.  The 
grave  that  he  bought  from  strangers  is  all  that  remains  to  him. 
As  Dr.  Bonar  says  : 

"  Only  a  tomb,  no  more  ! 

A  rock-hewn  sepulcher, 
And  tkis,  and  this  is  all  that's  thine, 

Fair  Canaan's  mighty  heir  ! 

"  Only  a  tomb,  no  more  ! 

A  future  resting-place, 
When  God  shall  lay  thee  down,  and  bid 

All  thy  long  wanderings  cease, 

*'  This  cave  and  field, — no  more, — 

Canst  thou  thy  dwelling  call ; 
That  land  of  thine, — plains,  hills,  woods,  streams, — 

The  stranger  has  it  all ! 


70  THE    world's    hope, 

"  Thy  altar  and  thy  tent 

Are  all  that  thou  hast  here  ; 
With  these  content,  thou  passest  on, 

A  homeless  wanderer. 

*'  Thy  life  unrest  and  toil  ; 

Thy  course  a  pilgrimage  ; 
Only  in  death  thou  goest  down, 

To  claim  thy  heritage  ; — 

*' A  heritage  which  death 

Shall  seal  to  thee  for  aye, 
A  resurrection-heritage 

When  all  things  pass  away. 

"A home  of  endless  peace, 

Beyond  these  hills  of  strife  ; 
When  these  old  rocks  give  up  their  dead, 

And  death  shall  end  in  life. 

"  A  heritage  of  life, 

Beyond  this  guarded  glof>m, 
A  kingdom,  not  a  field  or  cave  : 

A  city,  not  a  tomb." 

The  expression,  ''gathered  unto  his  people,"  is  one  which  is 
often  used  regarding  the  good  men  of  the  Bible.  It  has  been 
commonly  supposed  to  mean  being  buried  with  their  kindred  ; 
but  it  has  a  far  higher  meaning  than  this.  In  this  sense  it 
would  not  apply  to  Abraham  at  all,  for  his  people  and  he  were 
buried  far  from  each  other.  The  same  expression  is  applied  to 
Jacob  when  he  died  in  Egypt,  and  it  is  applied  also  to  Moses, 
though  buried  in  an  unknown  grave.  It  refers,  no  doubt,  to 
the  gathering  of  happy  souls  in  heaven ;  to  the  immediate  and 
happy  reunion  of  those  friends  who  had  for  a  short  time  been 
separated  by  death.  It  was  the  waiting  and  joyous  host  of 
glorified  spirits  in  heavenly  mansions,  to  whom  they  were  gath- 
ered, when  the  burden  of  life  was  laid  down,  and  the  body 
went  to  the  tomb.  It  has  been  complained  that  there  is  but 
little  evidence  of  immortality  being  known  in  those  early  days ; 
but  it  should  be  remembered,  that  not  having  a  written  revela- 
tion, the  Lord  Jesus,  in  a  bodily  appearance  of  some  kind, 
showed  himself  to  his  servants  and  spoke  with  them ;  and  that 


ISAAC.       THE    CHILD    OF    PROMISE. 


71 


angels  often  communicated  with  men,  so  that  a  constant  inter- 
course was  kept  up  between  heaven  and  earth.  They  walked 
with  God,  they  lived  near  heaven  and  knew  that  there  was  but 
a  thin  veil  between  them  and  the  souls  of  their  departed 
friends. 

Compared  with  his  father,  and  his  son  Jacob,  there  is  but 
little  known  of  Isaac.  He  was  not  called  to  pass  through  any 
very  stirring  scenes,  and  therefore  does  not  fill  a  large  place  in 
the  sacred  history.  He  was  not  a  man  of  much  force  of  char- 
acter, nor  of  much  power  of  intellect.  He  had  a  plastic, 
yielding,  amiable  disposition ;  easily  acted  upon  by  others,  and 
but  too  ready  to  be  governed  by  those  that  he  ought  to  have 
governed. 

But  he  was  a  devoutly  pious  man.  The  pious  example  of 
his  parents,  as  well  as  their  instructions,  were  not  lost  upon 
him.  His  father  was  one  who  knew  how  to  train  up  children 
for  heaven,  as  we  learn  from  Divine  testimony.  "  I  know  him, 
that  he  will  command  his  children  and  his  household  after 
him,  and  they  shall  keep  the  way  of  the  Lord."  And  where 
this  is  done,  it  is  a  rare  case  when  children  are  not  converted 
to  God  early  in  life. 

On  this  point  the  Rev.  Richard  Cecil,  speaking  from  expe- 
rience, says,  "Where  parental  influence  does  not  convert,  it 
hampers ;  it  hangs  on  the  wheels  of  evil,  I  had  a  pious 
mother,  who  dropped  things  in  my  way :  I  could  never  rid  my- 
self of  them.  I  was  a  professed  infidel ;  but  then  I  liked  to 
be  an  infidel  in  company,  rather  than  alone.  I  was  wretched 
when  by  myself.  These  principles,  maxims,  and  data,  spoiled 
my  jollity.  With  my  companions  I  could  sometimes  stifle  them  ; 
like  embers,  we  kept  one  another  warm.  Besides,  I  was  here  a 
sort  of  hero.  I  had  beguiled  several  of  my  associates  into  my 
opinions,  and  I  had  to  maintain  a  character  before  them.  But 
I  could  not  divest  myself  of  my  better  principles.  Parental 
influence  thus  cleaves  to  a  man ;  it  harasses  him — it  throws 
itself  continually  in  his  way.  My  mother  would  talk  to  me, 
and  weep  as  she  talked.  I  flung  out  of  the  house  with  an  oath, 
but  wept  when  I  got  into  the  street.     Sympathy  is  the  power- 


72  THE    world's    HOPE. 

fill  engine  of  a  mother ;  it  is  of  incalculable  importance  to 
obtain  a  hold  on  the  conscience  ;  children  have  a  conscience, 
and  it  is  not  seared,  though  it  is  evil.  Bringing  the  eternal 
world  into  their  view — planning  and  acting  with  that  world  be- 
fore us, — thus  gains  at  length  such  a  hold  on  them,  that,  with 
all  the  infidel  poison  which  they  may  afterwards  imbibe,  there 
are  few  children  who  at  night  in  their  chamber — in  the  dark 
— in  a  storm  of  thunder,  will  not  fear.  They  recollect  that 
ETERNITY  which  Stands  in  their  way.  It  rises  up  before  them  ; 
it  goads  them  ;  it  thunders  in  their  ears." 

Isaac  chose  early  the  religion  of  heaven — that  which  is 
good  for  body  and  soul,  for  the  old  and  for  the  young,  for  the 
rich  and  for  the  poor,  for  time  and  for  eternity.  There  are 
many  who  are  greatly  alarmed  at  any  unusual  display  of  devo- 
tedness  on  the  subject  of  religion.  They  will  speak  in  the 
most  rapturous  terms  of  a  devoted  friend,  a  devoted  patriot,  a 
man  devoted  to  the  interests  of  science  and  education,  but  a 
man  wholly  devoted  to  God  and  to  the  promotion  of  his  truth 
in  the  world,  they  are  ready  to  set  down  as  the  victim  of  a  weak 
delusion,  if  not  of  a  pernicious  fanaticism.  The  reason  is,  the 
enmity  of  their  hearts  to  spiritual  things,  and  the  blinding 
influence  of  sin.  The  things  that  are  seen  and  are  tem- 
poral fill  up  their  whole  little  field  of  vision.  They  grope 
about  in  the  darkness  of  a  mere  animal  existence,  totally  unap- 
preciative  of  the  eternal  realities  and  the  surpassing  glories 
which  God  spreads  out  before  the  eye  of  faith. 

In  seeking  after  a  likeness  of  God  and  entire  conformity  to 
his  will ;  in  giving  attention  to  things  infinite  and  eternal ;  in 
trying  to  save  immortal  souls,  and  win  a  crown  of  glory  that 
fades  not  away  ;  hov/  is  it  possible  for  us  to  be  too  earnest  ? 
See  what  a  holy  earnestness  marked  our  Lord's  career  from  the 
manger  to  the  cross.  Like  a  sacred  flame  it  glowed  in  his 
bosom  and  kept  him  continually  busy  for  the  salvation  of  the 
world — preaching,  praying,  weeping,  working,  never  loitering. 
How  carefully  every  moment  was  laid  out  in  his  Father's  busi- 
ness !  So  devoted  was  he  to  the  work  he  had  undertaken,  so 
eager  for  the  salvation  of  men^  that  he  longed  for  his  great 


ISAAC.       THE    CHILD    OF    PROMISE.  73 

baptism  of  blood — for  all  the  big  waves  and  billows  of  God's 
wrath  that  sinners  deserved,  to  go  over  him.  He  made  haste 
to  the  work  of  suffering  for  us,  and  was  almost  impatient  for 
the  dark  hour  of  sacrifice  to  arrive.  Even  the  designs  of  the 
guilty  traitor,  Judas,  seemed  too  slow  for  his  longings  of  love, 
for  he  said,  "What  thou  doest  do  quickly."  The  apostles 
caught  up  the  same  spirit  of  their  Divine  Master,  and  turned 
the  world  upside  down  by  the  fiery  fervor  of  their  zeal.  Steady 
as  the  sun  in  the  heavens,  they  went  on  to  the  accomplishment 
of  their  great  work,  and  as  has  been  said,  "  struck  the  kingdom 
of  darkness  with  blows  that  resounded  through  the  universe." 

Everything,  however,  is  not  Christian  earnestness  that  passes 
under  that  name.  There  is  often  an  earnestness  of  mere  sym- 
pathy that  is  awakened  by  contact  with  others.  We  are  greatly 
influenced,  at  least  for  a  time,  by  those  with  whom  we  asso- 
ciate. To  some  extent  we  catch  their  spirit,  imitate  their  ac- 
tions, and  sometimes  the  very  tones  of  their  voice.  For 
example,  here  is  a  young  convert,  and  circumstances  lead  him 
into  connection  with  a  church  where,  in  their  meetings,  they 
shout,  and  clap  their  hands,  and  loudly  respond  to  the  peti- 
tions expressed  in  the  public  prayers ;  in  short,  are  very  de- 
monstrative in  the  expression  of  their  feeling.  He  soon  learns 
to  do  as  the  others  do  ;  not  because  of  his  religion,  for  if  that  was 
the  case  then  all  who  had  real  religion  would  do  the  same;  but 
simply  by  the  power  of  sympathy  with  those  with  whom  he 
associates.  Had  circumstances  carried  the  same  man  into 
connection  with  the  evangelical  Society  of  Friends,  he  would 
have  been  ready  to  sit  for  hours  in  meeting  without  a  word 
being  spoken  either  by  himself  or  others.  And  yet  he  might 
have  as  much  real  religious  earnestness  in  the  one  case  as  in  the 
other. 

There  is  also  an  earnestness  that  is  merely  constitutional. 
It  is  bom  with  the  man.  There  is  a  warmth  and  a  fiery  fervor 
about  all  that  he  says  and  does.  There  is  certain  animal  ex- 
citement which  he  throws  into  all  that  he  undertakes,  and  which 
surrounds  him  with  a  perpetual  tempest.  Now,  there  is  no 
religion  in  all  this.     It  is  true,  religion  may  take  hold  of  his 


74  THE    WORLD'S    HOPS. 

natural  temperament,  and  sanctify  and  direct  it,  and  make  ft 
extensive!)^  useful ;  just  as  religion  takes  the  caution  and  cool 
deliberation  of  the  more  lymphatic  temperament,  and  makes 
them  useful.  Still  there  is  much  that  goes  by  the  name  of  re- 
ligious earnestness,  in  such  persons,  that  is  only  the  result  of 
nature,  not  of  grace — of  feeling,  not  of  principle. 

There  is  also  a  zeal  of  mere  sentimentality.  It  will  only 
work  for  Jesus  when  a  romantic  glow — a  publicity  and  dis- 
tinction attend  upon  the  work.  If  they  could  act  in  the  eyes 
of  the  world,  if  they  could  encounter  great  perils,  and  come 
out  of  them  spoken  of  as  gi'eat  heroes ;  recorded  as  such  in 
poetry  and  sermon  and  public  speeches,  with  what  an  ambi- 
tious burst  of  zeal  would  they  go  into  Christ's  service.  But  to 
live  unknown,  to  suffer  and  sacrince,  and  toil  on  for  Jesus,  till 
we  die  unhonored  and  unknown  ;  and  receive  almost  cur  first 
word  of  approval  from  the  lips  of  Jesus  himself,  as  we  stand 
before  his  throne,  requires  solid  principle,  not  mere  sentiment. 
Yet  faith  teaches  us  that  every  act  of  love,  every  kind  wordy 
every  tear  dropped,  every  prayer  uttered  for  Jesus,  reports 
itself  before  the  splendor  of  the  eternal  throne.  The  timid 
word  spoken  for  the  Savior  in  the  midst  of  mocking  folly,  is 
heard  by  him  in  heaven  above  the  sound  of  seven  thunders.  It 
is  registered  in  heaven's  imperishable  record. 

True  religious  earnestness  is  fed  from  the  unfailing  fountain 
of  love  to  God.  There  is  more  felt  inwardly  than  is  repre- 
sented outwardly.  It  lives  not  by  the  breath  of  human  ap- 
plause, but  by  the  favor  of  God.  At  the  cross  it  sees  the  whole 
truths  of  the  Bible,  the  revelation  of  God  to  man  for  centuries, 
condensed  into  one,word — salvation, — and  that  a  free  salvation  ; 
then  it  sees  the  long  procession  of  lost  souls  as  they  go  to  their 
eternal  prison-house,  and  is  roused  to  v.^ork  v/hile  he  may  to 
save  those  yet  in  the  land  of  hope.  Onward  such  a  man  goes, 
in  his  career  of  usefulness  ;  Christ  interceding  above  him,  the 
Holy  Spirit  interceding  within  him,  the  heavenly  Jerusalem  tO 
vdrich  he  goes,  with  its  pearly  gates  and  golden  streets  shining 
before  him,  and  crying  to  a  mocking  world,  "  O,  flee  from  the 
wrath  to  come  !" 


ISAAC.       THE    CHILD    OF    PROMISE.  75 

There  is  a  little  incident  mentioned  in  the  history  of  the  pa- 
triarch that  shows  us  one  source  of  his  deep  piety.  "  And 
Isaac  went  out  to  meditate  in  the  field  at  the  eventide."  Vvliat 
a  beautiful  picture  of  a  good  man  holding  fellowship  with  God 
through  his  works.  As  the  dusky  twilight  creeps  over  the  face 
of  nature,  and  a  sweet  stillness  and  repose  settling  down  upon 
all  things  around  him,  deep  thoughts  of  the  future  and  of  eter- 
nal things  fill  his  mind  ;  and  as  some  of  the  silent  stars  begin 
to  appear,  he  feels  with  the  Psalmist,  "What  is  man  that  thou 
art  mindful  of  him,  or  the  son  of  man  that  thou  visitest  him .?" 

The  age  in  which  we  live  is  one  of  many  and  blessed  activi- 
ties for  Christ.  The  Word  of  God,  that  blessed  Book  whose 
leaves  are  for  the  healing  of  the  nations,  is  circulated  by  mill- 
ions. Missionaries  are  sent  to  every  land,  and  toil  on  amid 
hardships  and  dangers,  showing  that  the  martyr-spirit  has  not 
died  out.  The  habitations  of  sin  and  festering  moral  pollution 
are  entered  by  the  message  of  salvation,  and  from  a  darkness 
worse  than  that  of  heathenism,  millions  of  children  are  gath- 
ered, and  the  light  of  heaven  poured  upon  their  dark  minds. 
We  live  in  a  wonderful  age,  and  should  bless  God  for  what  our 
eyes  see  and  our  ears  hear  of  the  Lord's  goodness. 

But  there  is  one  great  peril  we  are  in  from  the  very  nature 
of  our  age.  There  is  not  enough  of  secret  religion.  Like 
Isaac,  we  should  be  in  meditation  and  prayer  and  self-exami- 
nation, alone  before  the  Searcher  of  hearts.  There  is  a  rush 
and  a  bustle  and  an  excitement  about  our  religious  efforts,  that 
is  apt  to  make  us  forget  God,  at  the  very  tim.e  we  are  speaking 
of  him  and  engaged  in  his  work.  In  our  large  cities,  especially, 
there  are  thousands  of  the  most  active  Christians,  whose  Sab- 
baths are  spent  in  a  kind  of  exhausting  religious  dissipation. 
From  early  in  the  morning  till  late  at  night,  they  are  engaged 
in  public  services, — prayer-meetings,  mission  schools,  hearing 
sermons,  seeking  out  wonders;  till  tired  nature  sinks  under  the 
labor ;  and  it  seems  a  mockery  to  call  the  sacred  day  a  day  of 
rest.  No  time  for  sweet  meditation,  for  examining  our  own 
hearts  and  their  hidden  motives,  for  baring  the  soul  before  the 
Omniscient  eye,  and  praying,  "  Search  me  and  try  me,  O  God, 
and  see  if  there  be  any  wicked  way  in  me  !" 


7G  THE    WORLD'S    HOPE. 

This  Is  all  wrong.  We  v/ould  do  more  for  God  in  public, 
by  being  more  with  God  in  private.  If  the  orator  speaks 
with  power  in  public  it  is  because  his  mind  has  been  disci- 
plined and  stored  with  knowledge  in  the  solitude  of  his  study. 
There  it  is  that  he  gathers  up  those  elements  of  power  by 
which  he  is  able  to  thrill  the  hearts  and  sway  the  minds  of 
vast  multitudes.  A  religion  of  public  activity  must  be 
backed  up  by  frequent  seasons  of  meditation,  heart  searching, 
and  prayer.  In  the  days  of  Elijah  the  cause  of  truth  and 
holiness  was  brought  very  low,  the  altars  of  religion  were  over- 
turned, the  preaching  of  God's  servants  was  prohibited,  and  it 
seemed  as  if  the  emissaries  of  evil  were  about  to  triumph.  The 
Prophet  was  a  bold,  daring  man,  not  accustomed  to  cower  be- 
fore the  frowns  of  wickedness ;  but  he  felt  that  he  could  do 
nothing  in  his  own  strength.  He  therefore  retired  to  Mount 
Horeb  for  fasting  and  prayer,  and  for  pouring  out  the  com- 
plaint of  his  burdened  spirit  before  the  Lord ;  and  there  he 
heard  that  "  still  small  voice  "  that  filled  him  with  a  confidence 
before  which  systems  of  error  tottered  and  fell. 

But  why  refer  to  the  example  of  others  when  we  have  that 
of  the  great  Master.  Jesus  did  not  neglect  public  meetings. 
It  was  his  custom  to  go  to  the  house  of  the  Lord.  He  was 
regular  in  his  observance  of  the  public  means.  His  activity 
was  such  as  to  put  our  most  active  Christians  to  the  blush ; 
and  yet  he  retired  into  remote  places  to  spend  whole  nights  in 
prayer.  He  commands  us  to  enter  our  closet  and  shut  the 
door,  assuring  us  that  the  listening  ear  of  God  will  be  open  to 
our  every  word.  "  Come  my  people,  enter  thou  into  thy 
chambers,  and  shut  thy  doors  about  thee ;  hide  thyself  as  It 
were  for  a  little  moment,  until  the  indignation  be  overpast." 

We  have  an  inspired  testimony  borne  to  Isaac's  faith.  "By 
faith  Isaac  blessed  Jacob  and  Esau  concerning  things  to 
come."  His  faith  is  seen  in  the  fact  that  he  goes  on  to  dispose 
of  the  land  of  Canaan  as  if  it  were  already  In  his  possession. 
Everything  outwardly  looked  unfavorable.  As  yet  the  only 
foothold  which  he  had  In  that  land  was  a  grave ;  but  God  had 
promised,  and  there  he  rests.     That  promise  was  to  his  faith 


ISAAC.       THE    CHILD    OF    PROMISE.  77 

the  same  as  a  performance.  It  \vas  as  certain  to  him  now, 
when  all  was  dark,  as  if  he  already  saw  his  seed  in  full  pos- 
session of  their  fair  inheritance ;  and  "  sitting  under  their  own 
vine  and  fig  tree,  none  daring  to  make  them  afraid." 

In  reading  the  account  of  this  act  of  faith  on  the  part  of 
Isaac,  we  should  remember  that  tiie  blessing  of  the  patriarch 
was  a  prophetic  act.  It  connected  the  son,  upon  whom  it 
rested,  with  that  illustrious  line  by  which  the  Messiah  was  to 
come.  This  was  the  reason  why  Jacob's  mother  was  so  anxious 
to  secure  it  to  her  favorite  child ;  for  the  proud  hope  of  every 
mother  in  Israel  was,  that  through  her  this  great  Deliverer 
should  come.  It  was  God's  sovereign  purpose  that  Jacob,  the 
younger  son,  should  receive  this  blessing ;  and  yet,  that  pur- 
pose was  effected  by  the  wickedness  of  others.  Isaac  did  not 
mtend  to  give  the  blessing  where  he  did.  By  dissembling  and 
playing  the  mean  part  of  a  pretender,  Jacob  secured  it ;  and 
yet,  through  these  unworthy  means,  God's  holy  designs  were 
accomplished.  This  is  a  most  wonderful  and  mysterious  part 
of  the  ways  of  Providence.  The  God  with  whom  we  have  to 
do  is,  in  no  sense,  the  author  of  sin.  The  very  thought  is 
blasphemy.  He  hates  sin  with  a  perfect  hatred ;  and  yet,  his 
divine  wisdom  often  overrules  the  sins  of  men  for  the  good  of 
his  creatures,  and  the  carrying  out  of  his  purposes  of  infinite 
love.  "  Out  of  evil  still  educing  good."  He  makes  the  wrath 
of  man  to  praise  him. 

When  Job's  heavy  afflictions  fell  upon  him  he  said,  "  Shall 
we  receive  good  at  the  hand  of  the  Lord,  and  shall  we  not  re- 
ceive evil .''"  Now,  in  reading  the  narrative  of  his  trials,  we 
would  be  ready  to  infer  that  it  was  at  Satan's  hand  he  received 
them,  and  at  the  hand  of  the  Chaldeans ;  but  he  recognized  the 
Lord's  hand,  for  without  his  permission  they  could  have  done 
nothing.  In  the  very  fact  that  the  Lord  did  not  prevent  the 
evil  from  coming  upon  him,  he  knew  there  was  some  wise  de- 
sign. The  sin  connected  with  what  the  actors  did  was  their 
own  ;  the  good  brought  out  of  it  w  is  God's. 

In  regard  to  our  Lord's  death  we  read :  "  It  pleased  the 
Lord  to  bruise  him ;  he  hath  put  him  to  grief*."     And  yet^  iii 


78  THE  world's  hope. 

all  the  torture  inflicted  upon  our  Savior,  we  see  the  agency 
of  Judas,  of  Pilate,  of  bloody-minded  Jews  who  hated  him 
without  a  cause.  Still  it  was  done  according  to  the  "  determi- 
nate counsel  and  foreknowledge  of  God."  Yet  the  actors,  hav- 
ing done  all  that  they  did  freely  and  by  their  own  voluntary 
choice,  are  left  without  excuse.  "  By  wicked  hands  ye  cruci- 
fied the  Lord  of  glory."  Their  designs  were  wicked,  their 
acts  were  wicked,  their  whole  being  was  steeped  in  wicked- 
ness, and  yet  God  overruled  all  for  the  highest  good  of  the 
v/orld. 

How  good  it  is  to  feel  that  the  Lord  reigns,  and  that  he  con- 
trols the  affairs  of  the  universe.  Lie  had  the  heart  of  Pharaoh 
in  his  hand  as  well  as  that  of  Moses,  the  heart  of  Saul  as  well 
as  that  of  David.  To  his  boasting,  pompous  enemy,  our  Lord 
said,  "  Thou  couldst  have  no  power  unless  it  were  given  thee 
from  above."  This  Providence  controls  alike  the  great  and 
the  small,  the  grain  of  sand  as  well  as  the  mighty  planet,  the 
helpless  infant  as  well  as  the  vastest  empire.  Just  as  the  law 
of  gravitation  controls  the  atom  as  well  as  the  globe  ;  so  there 
is  nothing  too  small  or  too  great  to  be  beyond  God's  notice 
and  care. 

It  is  worthy  of  rem.ark,  here,  that  when  Isaac  was  told  of 
the  mistake  which  he  had  made  in  blessing  Jacob,  he  does  not 
undertake  to  correct  it.  He  recognizes  the  mind  and  will  of 
God  at  once.  Said  he,  "  I  have  blessed  him,  and  he  shall  be 
blessed."  Esau,  in  his  bitter  grief  and  disappointment,  strove 
hard  to  get  the  matter  reversed,  but  his  father  firmly  adheres 
to  what  had  been  done.  It  is  to  this  that  the  Apostle  refers  in 
Hebrews  xii :  i6,  17  :  "  Lest  there  be  any  fornicator,  or  profane 
person,  as  Esau,  who  for  one  morsel  of  meat  sold  his  birth- 
right. For  ye  know  how  that  afterward,  when  he  would  have 
inherited  the  blessing,  he  was  rejected ;  for  he  found  no  place 
of  repentance,  though  he  sought  it  carefully  with  tears."  Upon 
this  some  have  founded  a  doctrine  that  is  not  to  be  found  in 
the  Bible.  They  have  taught  that  the  sinner  may  reach  such 
a  state  of  soul  that  he  shall  be  found  pleading  with  God  in 
deep  earnestness  for  pardon  and  salvation,  and  be  turned 
away  with  a  refusal. 


ISAAC.       THE    CHILD    OF    PROMISE.  79 

Now,  this  is  not  the  meaning,  The  repentance  he  could  not 
find  was  on  the  part  of  his  father,  not  on  his  part.  He  tried 
most  earnestly  to  get  the  aged  patriarch  to  change  his  mind, 
that  is,  to  repent;  but  his  cries  and  his  tears  were  of  no  avail. 
The  blessing  had  gone  forth,  and  could  not  be  reversed.  No 
soul  who  truly  repented  was  ever  turned  av/ay  by  the  God 
of  love,  nor  ever  will  be.  The  sorrow  of  the  v/orld  that 
worketh  death — a  mere  remorse  of  conscience — may  some- 
times be  thought  to  be  repentance,  but  is  not.  This  was  the 
repentance  of  Judas,  but  instead  of  leading  him  nearer  to  God, 
it. drove  him  farther  off;  for  he  went  out  and  hanged  himself. 
There  have  been  some  very  improper  and  unguarded  things 
said  about  persons,  while  yet  living,  having  passed  their  day  of 
grace.  It  may  be  so,  but  it  is  certainly  not  taught  in  the  pas- 
sage above  quoted.  In  our  intercourse  with  our  fellow-men 
we  should  go  upon  the  principle  that  while  there  is  life  there  is 
hope.  We  should  take  it  for  granted,  that  the  reason  why  God 
has  prolonged  life  is  to  afiord  opportunity  for  repentance. 
Jesus  is  willing  to  receive  the  very  chief  of  sinners.  His  blood 
cleanseth  from  all  sin.  His  own  glorious  words  are,  "  He  that 
cometli  unto  me,  I  will  in  no  wise  cast  out." 

Esau  is  an  example  of  warning  to  us  all.  He  enjoyed  great 
privileges.  Born  and  brought  up  in  a  family  where  the  true 
God  was  known  and  worshiped,  with  prayers  offered  up  for 
him  by  believing  parents,  he  yet  voluntarily  despised  all  these, 
formed  an  alliance  with  the  heathen  around  him,  and  became 
a  profane  person.  Alas  !  How  many  do  the  same  now.  Born 
in  a  land  of  Bibles,  and  churches,  and  Sabbath  schools,  and 
revivals  of  great  pov/er ;  vv^ith  a  mother's  prayers  uttered  over 
their  cradle,  and  a  father's  instruction,  from  their  earliest  years, 
poured  into  their  ears  ;  with  the  Holy  Spirit  striving  with  them 
from  year  to  year,  and  pressing  upon  them  the  great  pov/ers  of 
the  world  to  come ;  they  do  as  did  Esau,  sacrifice  the  interests 
of  the  future  for  a  paltry,  momentary,  and  sinful  gratification 
in  the  present.  They  plead  their  temptations  as  an  excuse, 
but  the  motives  to  yield  to  sin  can  never  be  so  strong  as  the 
motives  to  resist  it  are.     To  sin  may  secure  us  a  temporary 


So  THE    world's    hope. 

gratification,  but  robs  us  of  an  eternal  weight  of  glory.  To  go 
with  them  in  the  ways  of  death,  may  please  a  few  sinful  asso- 
ciates, but  it  bririgs  down  on  us  the  frown  of  God  forever. 
Esau  sold  his  birthright,  not  for  a  crown,  not  for  a  kingdom, 
not  for  a  fortune,  not  even  for  the  breath  of  fame,  empty  and 
uncertain  as  that  is,  but  for  one  morsel  of  m^eat !  God  says  to 
sinners,  "Ye  have  sold  yourselves  for  a  thing  of  nought."  One 
sells  his  soul  for  money,  another  for  pleasure  of  a  mere  animal 
kind,  another  for  fame,  and,  in  short,  there  is  no  end  to  the  fool's 
bargains  that  are  thus  made.  The  devil  is  buying  souls  cheap 
in  the  market  of  sin,  every  day.  *'  What  is  a  man  profited  if 
he  gain  the  whole  world,  and  lose  his  own  soul.?"  As  an  old 
writer  says,  "  Worldly  things  are  less  than  the  soul  and  cannot 
fill  it;  they  are  worse  than  the  soul  and  cannot  satisfy  it." 

Esau  felt  his  mean  and  sinful  acts  end  in  bitterness  and 
sorrow.  The  beginning  of  a  sinful  life  often  looks  quite  flat- 
tering ;  but  look  at  its  end.  "  What  shall  the  end  be  of  them 
that  obey  not  the  gospel  of  Christ  ?"  As  it  is  really  the  end 
that  crowns  the  action,  that  is  the  way  in  which  we  should 
judge  of  things.  The  wages  of  sin  is  death.  Sin  is  hell  and 
hell  is  sin.  As  far  as  this  world  is  concerned  Esau  was  a  pros- 
perous man ;  but  he  had  no  riches  of  the  soul ;  and  the  most 
dreadful  of  all  kinds  of  poverty  is  that  which  strikes  into  the 
soul  and  pierces  it  through  and  through. 

Some  writers  have  enlarged,  at  considerable  length,  upon 
Isaac  as  a  type  of  Christ,  especially  with  reference  to  his  being 
offered  up  in  intention  as  a  sacrifice.  This  has  always  appeared 
to  me  more  fanciful  than  real.  It  was  the  shedding  of  blood 
that  made  the  victims  of  sacrifice  typical  of  Christ ;  and  in 
this  case  no  blood  was  shed.  And  even  if  his  blood  had  been 
shed,  it  could  not  have  been  in  the  nature  of  an  atonement ; 
for  one  poor  sinner  could  not  atone  for  another.  There  are 
abundant  types  of  our  blessed  Redeemer,  clear  and  distinct, 
v/ithout  calling  up  those  which  are  only  imaginary. 

In  reading  the  life  of  such  men  as  Isaac,  living  a  life  of  such 
constant  faith  and  fellowship  with  God,  amid  their  dark  dis- 
pensation, how  should  it  rebuke  our  low  state  of  piety.     We 


ISAAC.       THE    CHILD    OF    PROMISE.  8l 

live  in  the  blaze  of  Gospel  light.  They  had  that  same  Gospel 
only  in  dim  outline.  In  promises  and  prophecies  they  saw  the 
Savior  afar  off.  We  see  the  complete,  the  perfect  Christ.  And 
yet  how  far  we  live  below  our  privileges  !  Let  us  remember 
that  the  only  way  to  use  these  is  to  profit  by  them.  Such 
great  blessings  despised  turn  into  avenging  judgments.  God 
removes  the  candlestick  out  of  its  place,  and  leaves  the  de- 
spiser  of  its  light  in  darkness;  a  darkness  that  precedes  the 
blackness  of  darkness  forever.  Gospel  truth  ruins  if  it  does 
not  save.  The  soul  that  hears  God's  voice  calling  from  day  to 
day,  and  does  not  obey,  soon  occupies  that  state  of  soul  that 
the  old  writers  used  to  call  gospel-hardened.  Listen  to  what 
the  Word  says :  "  He  that  despised  Moses'  law  died  without 
mercy  under  two  or  three  witnesses ;  of  how  much  sorer  pun- 
ishment, suppose  ye,  shall  he  be  thought  worthy,  who  hath 
trodden  under  foot  the  Son  of  God,  and  hath  counted  the 
blood  of  the  covenant,  wherewith  he  was  sanctified,  an  unholy 
thing,  and  hath  done  despite  unto  the  Spirit  of  grace.'" 

At  last,  the  fretting  cares  and  domestic  sorrows  that  had 
darkened  the  latter  days  of  Isaac  are  over ;  and  gently  as  the 
babe  goes  to  sleep  upon  its  mother's  bosom,  he  sleeps  in  death. 
His  happy  soul  joined  the  parents  in  heaven,  who  had  so  re- 
joiced over  his  birth  on  earth.     They  now  have  him  forever. 

*'  Hast  thou  not  glimpses  in  the  twilight  hour, 
Of  mountains  where  immortal  morn  prevails? 
Comes  there  not  through  the  silence  to  thine  ear 
A  gentle  rustling  of  the  morning  gale, 
A  murmur,  wafted  from  that  glorious  shore, 
Of  streams  that  water  banks  forever  fair, 
And  voices  of  the  loved  ones  gone  before, 
More  musical  in  that  celestial  air?" 


82  THE    world's   hope. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

JACOB.       THE    PREVAILER    WITH    GOB. 

In  the  lives  of  the  people  of  God,  as  recorded  in  the  Bibis, 
there  are  two  points  very  manifest;  God's  treatment  of  them 
as  a  great  moral  Governor,  and  his  treatment  of  them  as  a 
God  of  forgiving  love.  As  a  great  moral  Governor  v/ho  can- 
not pass  by  sin,  he  drove  the  first  transgressor  out  of  Eden, 
out  into  a  world  cursed  for  his  sake ;  but  as  a  God  of  grace 
and  love,  he  at  the  same  time  gave  him  a  promise  of  a  coming 
Savior.  That  stern  expulsion,  and  that  flaming  sword  which 
*'  turns  every  Vv-ay  to  keep  the  way  of  the  tree  of  life,"  spoke 
of  God's  unquenchable  hatred  of  sin ;  that  gracious  promise 
spoke  of  his  deep  love  to  the  sinner.  The  sinner  is  forgiven 
freely  and  fully  ;  but  the  result  of  his  sins  in  the  cursed  earth 
in  the  sweat  of  his  brow,  in  his  struggles  v/ith  the  "  thorns  and 
thistles,"  are  still  allowed  to  remain. 

We  see  this  subject  illustrated  in  the  case  of  Moses.  He 
spake  unadvisedly  with  his  lips  at  the  waters  of  Meribah,  and 
God,  as  a  moral  Governor,  was  greatly  displeased,  and  pro- 
hibited his  entering  the  promised  land.  Moses  was  forgiven, 
but  the  prohibition  v/hich  his  sin  caused  was  not  withdrawn ; 
he  was  still  kept  out  of  the  promised  land ;  but  to  show  the 
love  of  his  God  he  is  taken  up  to  Pisgah  and  permitted  to 
view  the  fair  Canaan  from  afar,  and  when  he  died  the  Lord 
tenderly  buried  him.  We  see  the  same  thing  in  David's  case. 
In  the  matter  of  Uriah  the  Hittite,  he  fell  from  a  high  and  holy 
elevation.  His  open  immorality  in  the  sight  of  all  Israel  could 
not  be  passed  over.  He  repented  in  broken-hearted  contrition 
before  God  and  he  was  freely  forgiven  ;  but  the  result  of  his 
sin  goes  on  unchecked.  His  child  dies.  Absalom  rises  in  re- 
volt, and  a  long  succession  of  domestic  troubles  darkens  his 


JACOB.       THE    PREYAILER    WITH    GOD.  83 

earthly  lot,  and  wrings  his  heart  with  anguisli.  God's  govern- 
ment and  grace  work  together,  the  one  not  interfering  with  the 
other,  but  both  proceeding  from  the  same  hand. 

Perhaps  this  principle  is  nowhere  so  clearly  illustrated  as  in 
the  case  of  the  patriarch  Jacob.  It  shows  itself  throughout 
his  entire  history.  Jacob  was  a  chosen  child  of  God,  a  subject 
of  God's  grace ;  but  when  he  sins  he  comes  under  the  chas- 
tisement of  God's  government.  His  deceiving  his  father  and 
supplanting  his  brother  in  the  matter  of  the  birthright,  v/as  a 
mean,  wicked  act ;  and  the  righteous  judge  could  not  pass  it 
over.  Hence  we  see  him  a  fugitive  from  his  home,  compelled 
to  serve  a  hard  master  for  twenty  years,  his  wages  capriciously 
changed  again  and  again,  never  permitted  again  to  see  the  face 
of  that  over-indulgent  mother  Vvho  had  helped  him  to  plan  his 
wickedness  ;  his  ten  sons  agreeing  to  deceive  him,  as  he  had 
deceived  his  father ;  living  for  years  in  bitter  sorrow  on  account 
of  the  supposed  death  of  Joseph ;  in  terror  of  being  murdered 
by  his  injured  brother,  and  driven  out  of  his  own  land,  among 
strangers,  by  a  famine,  there  to  die.  Oh  what  a  large  harvest 
of  sorrow  from  evil  seed  which  it  took  him  but  a  few  minutes 
to  sovv' !  Yet  Jacob  was  a  good  man,  enjoying  God's  pardon- 
ing love ;  but  this  did  not  prevent  him  from  being  a  subject  of 
God's  governmental  chastisement.  "  V/hatsoever  a  man  sows 
that  shall  he  also  reap." 

Some  years  ago  I  read  an  interesting  article  on  this  subject 
in  a  small  religious  magazine,  called  "  Things  New  and  Old," 
which  contained  a  most  forcible  illustration,  which  I  regret 
that  I  cannot  give  in  the  words  of  the  author,  but  only  from 
memory.  Suppose  a  master  sends  a  servant  to  sov/  a  field 
with  wheat.  That  servant,  eithex  from  ignorance  or  gross 
carelessness,  sows  some  vile  weed.  The  master  in  the  exer- 
cise of  great  goodness  and  forbearance  pardons  him  freely  and 
fully.  The  servant  is  deeply  grieved  for  the  wrong  he  has  done 
his  master,  and  sheds  many  a  bitter  tear  over  his  fault.  But 
v/ould  the  master's  pardon  and  the  servant's  repentance  change 
the  weeds  into  wheat  ?  Certainly  not.  When  the  harvest  time 
comes,  and  golden  grain  should  be  waving  over  the  field,  there 


84  THE  world's  hope, 

is  nothing  but  the  noxious  weed.  Now,  when  the  servant  looks 
over  that  field,  ought  the  fact  that  the  crop  is  not  changed  to 
make  him  doubt  his  master's  forgiveness  ?  Not  at  all.  Just 
as  the  nature  of  the  pardon  did  not  alter  the  crop,  so  the  na- 
ture of  the  crop  does  not  alter  the  pardon.  The  two  things 
are  perfectly  distinct. 

Still  farther ;  the  master,  in  the  exercise  of  great  chemical 
skill,  might  extract  a  medicine  from  the  weed  that  would  be  a 
thousand  times  more  remunerative  than  the  wheat  would  have 
been,  and  thus  the  sin  of  the  servant  might  be  overruled  for 
good.  But  that  would  not  make  his  wrong  right,  nor  would  it 
alter  the  great  law  that  a  man's  reaping  must  be  according  to 
his  sowing.     This  is  plain  and  practical. 

Jacob,  having  obtained  the  blessing  from  his  father,  is  com- 
pelled to  go  forth  from  the  land  that  he  loved,  and  the  home 
of  his  affections,  to  a  strange  land,  of  v/hich  he  knew  nothing. 
We  can  easily  conceive  the  deep  depression  that  must  have 
rested  upon  his  heart.  Much  that  was  pleasant  he  was  leaving 
behind  him,  and  before  him  all  was  dark  and  uncertain.  A 
good  man,  going  forth  in  the  path  of  duty,  could  not  help  feel- 
ing a  sadness  pervade  his  mind,  under  such  circumstances. 
But  Jacob  had  been  brought  into  these  circumstances  not  by 
duty,  but  by  sin.  His  exile  from  his  home  was  the  result  of 
his  own  transgression  of  the  law  of  right ;  and  the  knowledge 
of  this  rankling  in  his  conscience,  must  have  made  his  journey 
a  melancholy  one.  To  have  a  deep  and  abiding  sense  of  God's 
favor  in  the  soul,  an  approving  God  above  us  and  an  approv- 
ing conscience  within  us,  is  the  best  support  in  times  of  trial. 
It  makes  the  timid  brave,  and  the  desponding  cheerful.  It 
gives  a  new  aspect  to  the  v/hole  face  of  nature,  and  fills  the 
soul  with  music  and  sunshine. 

At  length  the  shadows  of  night  gather  around  our  traveler, 
while  the  fatigues  of  the  way  make  rest  welcome.  He  lies 
down  to  sleep  under  the  open  heavens,  the  grass  his  bed,  and 
a  stone  his  pillow.  But  that  God  who  is  pitiful  and  of  tender 
compassion,  saw  all  the  sad  desolation  of  his  heart ;  and  in  a 
vision  cf  the  night  comes  to  comfort  him.     In  those  early  ages 


JACOB.       THE    PREVAILER    WITH     GOD.  85 

of  t]ie  world,  before  there  was  a  v/ritten  revelation,  God  often 
communicated  with  his  servants  in  this  way.  Now  that  we 
have  a  complete  revelation,  it  would  be  folly  to  depend  upon 
dreams  for  our  guidance.  As  an  old  writer  says,  "  Read  your 
dreams,  if  you  like,  in  the  light  of  Scripture ;  but  do  not  read 
Scripture  in  the  light  of  your  dreams."  We  are  now  to  be 
guided  only  by  the  sure  Word  of  God. 

In  his  dream  the  patriarch  saw  a  "a  ladder  set  up  on  the 
earth,  and  the  top  of  it  reached  to  heaven  ;  and  behold  the 
angels  of  God  ascending  and  descending  on  it."  The  meaning 
of  this  ladder,  I  think,  is  clear  from  the  words  of  our  Lord, 
"  Hereafter  ye  shall  see  heaven  open,  and  the  angels  of  God 
ascending  and  descending  upon  the  Son  of  Man."  Christ's 
atonement  connects  heaven  with  earth;  has  opened  up  the 
communication  between  God  and  man,  which  sin  had  closed ; 
and  now  sinners  can  get  visits  of  mercy  and  promises  of  grace 
from  the  righteous  Judge  that  they  had  offended.  A  man 
going  up  a  ladder  is  above  the  earth  and  getting  nearer  heaven  ; 
so  a  man  who  receives  Christ's  atonement  by  faith  gets  above 
the  vanities  of  earth,  and  dwells  in  heavenly  places  with  Christ 
Jesus. 

When  Jacob  awoke  from  sleep  he  was  much  affected,  and 
filled  with  solemnity.  He  felt  that  God  had  come  very  near  to 
him.  "  Surely  Jehovah  is  in  this  place;  and  I  knew  it  not." 
A  great  fear,  a  solemn  dread  came  over  him,  as  he  reflected 
upon  what  had  taken  place  ;  and  he  exclaimed,  "  How  dread- 
ful is  this  place  !  this  is  none  other  but  the  house  of  God,  and 
this  is  the  gate  of  heaven."  Those  whose  ideas  of  worship 
are  confined  to  ritualistic  forms  and  priestly  ceremonies, 
those  who  feel  as  if  there  can  be  no  house  of  God  except  in 
consecrated  piles  of  architectural  splendor,  may  wonder  why 
he  called  that  humble  spot  a  house  of  God.  But  God's  pres- 
ence can  make  the  meeting  on  the  hil-lsides,  or  in  the  caves  of 
the  earth,  the  assembly  of  the  true  vforshipers  in  the  forests  or 
in  a  barn,  the  house  of  God;  while  the  grand  cathedral,  if  it 
contains  nothing  but  dead  forms,  is  repulsive  in  the  sight  of 
that  Great  Spirit,  who  must  be  worshiped   in    spirit  and    in 


86  THE    WORLD'S    HOPE. 

truth.     This  whole  scene  at  Bethel  is  highly  instructive,  and  is 
well  improved  in  the  following  beautiful  lines  : 

"  Sweet  spot !  't  was  surely  hallowed  ground, 
Where  heaven  itself  diffused  around 

The  breath  of  peace  and  love ; 
There  Jacob  slept — there  angels  hung 
O'er  him  from  whom  the  Savior  sprung, 

To  guard  him  from  above. 

"  He  slept — but  who  that  saw  him  there, 
Beneath  the  chill  and  midnight  air, 

Upon  the  dewy  sod, 
Lone  as  he  seemed,  could  e'er  have  guess'd 
How  bright  a  glimpse  of  glory  bless'd 
That  favored  child  of  God  ! 

"  The  gloomy  cloud,  by  sorrow  spread 
Around  the  sleeper's  dreamy  head, 

Had  melted  into  light ; 
And,  lo  !  a  vision  too  intense 
In  splendor  for  weak  mortal  sense, 

Blazed  on  his  inward  sight. 

"  A  ladder  of  stupendous  height 
Led  upward  through  the  gates  of  light 

On  to  the  throne  of  God, 
While  to  and  fro,  'twixt  heaven  and  earth, 
Fair  holy  ones,  of  seraph  birth, 
In  steps  of  glory  trod. 

"Some  wafted  Israel's  fervent  prayer 
Along  each  heaven-ascending  stair, 

E'en  to  the  ear  of  Love, 
While  myriads  more,  as  swift  as  thought, 
Full  many  a  goodly  blessing  brought 

In  answer  from  above. 

"  Sweet  dream  !  its  memory  oft  would  cheer 
The  patriarch's  soul  through  many  a  year 

Of  sorrow,  feai",  and  strife  ; 
He  loved  it,  for  he  there  could  see 
A  beauteous  emblem.  Lord,  of  Thee, 

Thou  glorious  Way  of  Life  ! 


JACOB.       THE    PREVAILER    V,'ITII     GOD.  87 

"  Through  thee  the  Father's  love  descends, 
Through  thee  our  love  to  him  ascends, 

And  prayer  and  praise  arise  ; 
While  every  promise,  Lord,  of  thine, 
"What  is  it  but  a  step  divine 

To  lead  us  to  the  skies  ? " 

Jacob,  in  token  of  his  gratitude  to  God  for  this  manifesta- 
tion of  His  presence,  took  the  stone  that  he  had  for  his  pillow, 
and  set  it  up  for  a  pillar,  and  poured  oil  upon  the  top  of  it. 
This  he  did  to  commemorate  what  had  so  recently  transpired, 
so  that  it  might  be  permanently  remembered  by  him.  The 
great  evil  with  us  is,  that  we  are  apt  to  forget  what  God  does 
for  us,  and  to  allow  his  gracious  interferences  of  love  to  fade 
away  from  our  minds.  This  forgetfulness  is  very  guilty,  and 
were  God  not  so  long-suffering,  would  have  provoked  him  long 
ago  to  remove  his  goodness  from  us  forever. 

The  patriarch  also  dedicated  him.self  anew  to  God.  His 
pouring  oil  upon  the  pillar  was  a  symbol  of  this.  His  lan- 
guage is  touchingly  beautiful.  "  If  God  will  be  with  me,  and 
will  keep  me  in  this  way  that  I  go,  and  will  give  me  bread  to 
eat,  and  raiment  to  put  on,  so  that  I  come  again  to  my  Father's 
house  in  peace  ;  then  shall  the  Lord  be  my  God :  and  this 
stone,  which  I  have  set  for  a  pillar,  shall  be  God's  house  ;  and 
of  all  that  thou  shalt  give  me  I  will  surely  give  the  tenth  unto 
thee."  Here  we  see  that  there  is  not  a  single  mercy  that  we 
get  from  God's  loving  hand,  but  lays  us  under  obligation  to 
devote  ourselves  anew  to  his  holy  service.  As  the  Author  of 
all  our  blessings  he  has  a  claim  upon  our  all.  Our  time, 
our  talents,  our  property,  our  all,  should  be  held  as  sa- 
credly devoted  to  Him  who  has  done  so  much  for  us.  In 
seasons  of  special  deliverances,  and  when  new  and  unexpected 
blessings  have  been  conferred  upon  us,  we  should  feel  called 
upon  to  make  a  new  consecration  to  the  Lord.  Let  any 
Christian  look  back  over  the  way  that  God  has  led  him,  pa- 
tiently bearing  with  his  wanderings,  supporting  him  in  afflic- 
tions, opening  a  path  for  him  when  all  seemed  shut  up,  bring- 
ing him  to  many  a  green  spot  for  refreshment  when  weary  of 


88  THE  world's  hope. 

the  dusty  highway  of  life,  and  causing  unlooked  for  blessings 
to  come  down  upon  him  like  the  dews  of  heaven  ;■  and  lost 
must  his  soul  be  to  all  emotions  of  gratitude,  if  he  does  not 
exclaim,  "  What  shall  I  render  unto  the  Lord  for  all  his  bene- 
fits unto  me  ?"  And  surely  that  something  that  he  will  render 
to  the  Lord,  will  be  a  gift  that  he  will  feel,  that  will  require 
self-denial  and  self-sacrifice.  Surely  he  will  not  be  like  the 
mean,  rich  man,  who,  when  taken  from  the  river,  turned  to  the 
man  that  saved  him  from  drowning,  and  offered  him  a  dollar  ! 
Well,  perhaps  the  poor  wretch  knew  best  the  value  of  his  own 
life. 

Such  an  act  is  nothing  to  the  meanness  of  the  man  who, 
professing  to  be  saved  by  Christ  from  eternal  death,  stands  up 
before  God  in  the  great  congregation,  and  sings, — 

"  Were  all  the  realm  of  nature  mine, 
That  were  a  present  far  too  small. 
Love  so  amazing,  so  divine, 

Demands  my  soul,  my  life,  my  all," 

and  then  drops  into  the  Lord's  treasury  less  than  his  cigars  or 
some  other  useless  luxury  cost  him  for  the  last  week.  O  how 
will  such  conduct  look  when  the  light  of  eternity  shall  reveal 
the  value  of  souls,  and  the  infinite  importance  of  salvation ! 

We  come  now  to  consider  one  of  the  most  wonderful  events 
in  the  history  of  Jacob's  eventful  life.  Fourteen  years  have 
passed  away  since  he  had  the  encouraging  vision  and  received 
such  cheering  promises  ,  and  now  he  is  about  to  return  to  the 
land  he  had  left  under  the  most  painful  circumstances.  In  a 
solemn  review  of  those  years,  he  says,  "  I  am  not  worthy  of 
the  least  of  all  the  mercies,  and  of  all  the  truth  which  thou 
hast  showed  unto  thy  servant ;  for  with  my  staff  I  passed  over 
this  Jordan,  and  now  I  am  become  two  bands."  When  he  ut- 
tered these  words  the  blue  hills  of  his  native  land  were  in  sight, 
and  he  was  near  to  all  the  familiar  scenes  of  his  youth,  so 
affecting  to  the  heart  of  an  exile,  when  they  again  come  into 
view.  He  had  tested  God's  promise  and  it  had  not  failed  him  ; 
and  now  that  he  is  again  in  trouble  he  knows  where  to  go  for 
help. 


JACOB.       THE    PREVAILER    WITH     GOD.  89 

With  his  large  family  and  abundance  of  flocks  and  property 
he  is  moving  along,  when  he  is  informed  that  his  brother  Esau, 
whom  he  had  so  deeply  wronged,  is  approaching,  with  four 
hundred  men  ;  and,  he  has  reason  to  fear,  with  a  murderous 
purpose.  What  does  he  do  in  these  circumstances  ?  God  had 
told  him  to  return  to  his  native  land,  and  had  said,  "  I  will 
surely  do  thee  good,"  and  therefore  he  knew  that  he  was  in  the 
path  of  duty.  And  yet,  he  does  not  recklessly  go  forward, 
without  using  all  the  means  in  his  power  to  avert  the  threat- 
ened danger.  In  him  we  see  prudence  and  piety  blending  in 
beautiful  union.  He  divides  his  company  into  separate  bands  ; 
he  sends  forth  a  handsome  present  to  his  brother,  accompany- 
ing it  with  a  message  calculated  to  allay  resentful  feelings  in 
his  bosom  ;  and  thus  having  done  all  that  he  could  do,  he  be- 
takes himself  to  God  in  prayer.  He  knew  that  our  best  laid 
plains  will  fail  without  a  divine  blessing  upon  them. 

Jacob  was  alone  with  God.  The  company  so  dear  to 
him  are  sent  on  before  him.  It  is  past  the  midnight  hour. 
Great  things  are  pending  upon  the  results  of  the  coming  day. 
It  was  not  merely  that  his  own  life  was  in  danger,  but  Leah, 
and  the  beloved  Rachel^  for  whom  he  had  served  fourteen 
years  with  hard  toil,  and  also  his  children,  dearer  to  him  than 
his  own  life,  were  all  exposed  to  the  same  common  danger. 
He  resolves  to  devote  that  night  to  pleading  with  God.  He  knew 
that  he  had  the  heart  of  Esau  and  that  of  his  rude  band  in  his 
hands,  and  he  could  turn  them  in  kindness  towards  him,  as  he 
had  already  done  that  of  his  surly,  selfish  father-in-law.  All 
that  human  aid  and  skill  could  do  had  been  done ;  God  must 
now  be  his  refuge  and  his  strength. 

We  see  the  patriarch  kneeling  upon  the  ground,  his  bosom 
heaving  with  emotions  too  big  for  utterance  ,  the  deep  silence  of 
night  only  broken  by  his  voice  of  earnest  entreaty  ;  when,  sud- 
denly, strange  hands  seize  and  grapple  him,  and  there  wrestled 
a  man  with  him  to  the  breaking  of  day.  How  startled  the  man 
of  God  must  have  been  !  And  yet  this  sudden  and  seemingly 
rude  attack  was  the  harbinger  of  safety,  a  token  of  an  answer 
to  his  prayer.     It  was   a  true  friend  that  came  to  him  in  the 


9©  THE    WORLD'S    HOPE. 

darkness  of  that  memorable  night,  though  he  came  as  a  foe. 
Thus  God  often  comes  to  us  his  people  in  a  way  that  is  most 
alarming ,  that  for  a  time  makes  them  fear  that  he  has  become 
their  avenging  enemy ;  but  soon  we  find  that  the  hand  that 
shook  us  so  vigorously  has,  after  all,  contained  a  most  precious 
blessing  for  us.  He  wounds  only  to  heal ;  he  casts  down  only 
to  exalt. 

We  are  not  to  understand  this  as  a  vision,  but  as  a  real  trans- 
action. There  was,  no  doubt,  a  bodily  struggle ;  but  still,  the 
chief  thing  upon  which  our  minds  are  to  be  fixed  is,  the  spir- 
itual conflict  and  victory.  Hence  it  is,  that  deep  anguish  and 
agony  of  soul  in  pleading  with  Jehovah  has  been  called 
*' wrestling  with  God."  This  is  something,  however,  that  mere 
formalists  and  ritualists  cannot  understand.  It  is  something 
quite  different  from  kneeling  on  a  velvet  cushion,  opening  a 
beautifully  bound  prayer-book,  and  reading  a  prayer  composed 
by  some  one  a  century  before,  with  far  less  emotion  than  the 
last  news  by  the  Atlantic  cable  would  be  read.  It  is  to  plead 
till  every  power  of  the  soul  is  on  the  stretch  in  intense  long- 
ings after  God,  and  big  waves  of  emotion  chase  each  other 
across  the  soul.  So  wrestled  the  adorable  Savior  on  that  dark 
night  in  Gethsemane,  till  the  body  sweat  came  from  every  pore. 
Thus  did  Paul  wrestle  when  he  had  great  heaviness  of  heart, 
for  his  brethren  according  to  the  flesh.  Thus  did  Luther 
wrestle  in  certain  great  crises  of  the  reformation  work.  Thus 
did  Knox  wrestle  when  in  an  agony  he  cried  out,  "  Lord,  give 
me  Scotland  or  I  die !"     And  thus  it  was  that  Jacob  wrestled. 

It  is  a  legitimate  subject  of  inquiry  :  Who  was  this  person 
that  wrestled  with  the  patriarch  ?  In  the  narrative  he  is  called 
"  a  man,"  while  Hosea  speaks  of  him  as  "  the  angel,"  and  Jacob 
himself  says,  "  I  have  seen  God  face  to  face."  He  is  also  said 
to  have  had  "  power  with  God."  To  us,  therefore,  this  myste- 
rious stranger  is  a  stranger  no  longer.  It  v/as  the  Lord  Jesus  ; 
he  v/ho  as  "the  angel  of  the  Covenant,"  had  often  appeared 
in  a  bodily  form,  till  the  fullness  of  the  time  came,  when  he  as- 
sumed our  nature.  Then  "  the  Word  became  flesh,  and  dwelt 
It  was  the  same  who  had  walked  in  Eden  in  the 


JACOR.       THE    PREVAILER    WITH     GOD.  91 

cool  of  the  day,  and  talked  with  the  first  pair  ;  who  conversed 
with  Abraham,  and  showed  himself  amid  the  shadowy  visions 
of  the  prophets,  who  now  strove  with  Jacob.  He  might,  there- 
fore, have  again  said,  "  Surely,  God  was  in  this  place  and  I  knew 
it  not." 

Concerning  this  great  Being  the  wonderful  expression  is 
used,  "  And  v/hen  he  saw  that  he  prevailed  against  him."  Plow 
strange !  The  High  and  Lofty  One  who  inhabiteth  eternity, 
does  not  prevail  against  a  poor  and  sinful  child  of  earth  !  The 
reason  was,  that  Jacob  was,  pleading  the  Lord's  own  promises, 
trusting  his  own  pledged  word,  and  that  he  never  can  deny. 
The  worm  Jacob  prevails  with  God  because  he  keeps  pleading 
the  promise,  "  I  will  surely  do  thee  good.''  Still,  that  Jacob 
may  not  become  proud  and  think  that  he  had  gained  a  great 
victory  in  his  own  strength,  with  one  touch  of  the  Divine  finger 
his  thigh  is  disjointed.  Just  as  Paul,  after  the  heavenly  revela- 
tions had  been  made  to  him,  had  a  thorn  in  the  flesh  left  with 
him  lest  he  should  be  exalted  above  measure. 

But  though  the  pleader  is  now  disabled  and  in  pain,  he  does 
not  give  up  the  contest.  He  now  has  a  perfect  understanding 
of  who  it  is  with  whom  he  has  been  striving;  and  this  only 
increases  his  ardor  to  obtain  the  blessing.  The  Divine  visitor 
seems  as  if  he  would  leave  him,  saying,  "  Let  me  go."  Just  as 
the  same  Holy  One,  many  centuries  after,  in  going  with  the 
disciples  to  Emmaus,  seemed  about  to  go  further,  and  yet  in 
answer  to  their  constraining  prayer  tarried  with  them ;  so  he 
was  now  only  trying  his  servant's  faith.  He  did  not  wish  to 
leave  him  unblessed,  in  his  weakness  and  despair.  He  is  more 
willing  to  give  than  we  to  ask. 

"  I  will  not  let  thee  go,  except  thou  bless  me."  What  bold- 
ness of  faith,  what  earnestness  of  entreaty,  what  perseverance 
of  prayer  is  here  !  Was  the  Lord  offended  with  this  familiarity 
of  faith  1  Was  the  pleading  sinner  hurled  to  the  ground  a 
bleeding  corpse }  No,  no.  When  we  have  a  promise  to  plead 
he  will  listen.  He  loves  to  have  us  use  the  holy  violence  of 
faith.  Jacob's  determination  not  to  be  denyed,  reminds  us  of 
the  perseverance  of  the  Canaanitish  woman,  when  pleading  with 


92  THE    WORLD  S    HOPE. 

the  same  Lord  long  after.  Though  first  met  with  utter  silence, 
and  with  repeated  rebuffs,  she  kept  up  her  plea,  tili  the  gracious 
answer  came,  "  O,  woman,  great  is  thy  faith,  be  it  unto  thee 
even  as  thou  wilt."  We  lose  much  for  want  of  this  importun- 
ity. We  become  discouraged  and  disheartened  when  the 
answer  to  our  prayer  does  not  come  at  once,  and  turn  away  in 
unbelief.  An  old  writer  says,  "  If  the  arrow  of  prayer  is  to 
enter  heaven,  we  must  draw  it  from  a  soul  full  bent."  By  the 
parables  of  the  unjust  Judge,  and  the  friend  that  comes  in  the 
night  to  borrow  the  three  loaves,  our  Lord  teaches  us,  in  the 
most  emphatic  form,  the  value  of  importunity  in  prayer.  Let 
us  lay  this  to  heart. 

It  is  worthy  of  remark,  that  Jacob  does  not  specify  minutely 
what  he  wanted,  but  only  asks  a  blessing.  He  knew  that  the 
Lord  was  well  aware  of  his  present  circumstances,  and  that  if 
he  gives  him  a  blessing  at  all,  it  will  be  sure  to  be  one  that  will 
meet  all  his  present  necessities.  He  left  it  to  the  Divine  Wis- 
dom to  choose  the  best  form  in  which  this  could  be  done.  And 
God  did  bless  him,  then  and  there.  Faith  obtained  a  glorious 
victory.  As  one  says,  "  He  was  knighted  on  the  field."  His 
old  name,  Jacob,  which  signified  a  supplanter,  and  therefore  was 
calculated  to  remind  him  of  his  sin,  is  removed ;  and  a  new 
name,  Israel,  meaning  a  prince  with  God,  is  given  unto  him. 
The  reason  of  this  new  name  is,  that  he  had  "  power  with  men, 
and  had  prevailed."  The  fact  that  he  had  prevailed  with  God, 
was  a  pledge  that  he  would  prevail  with  his  brother.  He  was 
not  now  afraid  to  go  forward,  for  if  God  be  for  us  who  can  be 
against  us  ? 

What  a  bright,  glorious  morning  was  that  which  now  dawned 
upon  Jacob.  The  shadov/s  of  night  that  now  gathered  around 
him  on  the  previous  evening,  were  but  a  faint  emblem  of  the 
darkness  of  his  mind  ;  the  brightness  of  the  sun  that  that  morn- 
ing illuminated  the  face  of  nature,  was  but  a  faint  sign  of  the 
heavenly  light  that  filled  the  soul  of  the  man  of  God.  What 
though  he  now  went  along  lame  and  halting  in  body,  his  soul 
was  strong  in  God.  The  warrior  does  not  care  that  he  carries 
from  the  field  some  wounds,  when  the  shout  of  victory  is  in  his 
ears. 


JACOP.       THE    PREVAILER    WITH     GOD.  93? 

Let  US  learn  from  this  whole  subject,  the  great  value  of  secret 
prayer.  Jacob  had  a  great  deliverance  from  a  public  danger 
that  threatened  him  ;  but  it  was  in  secret,  in  the  darkness  of 
the  night,  that  he  obtained  the  answer  to  his  prayer.  The 
result  of  that  night's  pleading  with  God  appeared  openly  after- 
wards, no  doubt  to  the  astonishment  of  those  who  did  not  know 
the  secret,  fervent  prayer  that  had  brought  about  that  result. 
On  this  subject  Dr.  Hamilton  beautifully  remarks,  "When 
Jacob  and  Esau  met — on  the  one  side  the  shaggy  chieftain  with 
his  four  hundred  swordsmen,  and  on  the  other  side  the  limping 
shepherd  with  his  caravan  of  children  and  cattle — a  flock  of 
sheep  approaching  a  band  of  wolves  ;  when  the  patriarch  took 
his  staff  in  his  hand  and  stepped  forward  to  meet  the  embat- 
tled company,  and  the  anxious  retinue  awaited  the  issue — they 
saw  the  sword  drop  from  Esau's  hand — they  saw  his  brawny 
arms  around  Jacob's  neck — they  saw  in  the  red  savage  a  sud- 
den and  unlooked  for  brother.  They  saw  the  result,  but  they 
had  not  seen  the  prelude  which  led  to  it.  They  had  not  been 
with  Jacob  at  the  ford  of  Jabbok  the  night  before.  They  had 
not  viewed  his  agony  and  heard  his  prayer;  and  though  they 
noticed  the  halting  limb,  they  did  not  know  the  victory  whose 
token  it  was.  They  saw  the  patriarch,  the  husband,  and  the 
father;  but  they  knew  not  that  he  was  a  prince  with  God,  and 
and  had  gained  Esau's  heart  from  him  who  has  all  hearts  in 
his  hand.  The  halting  thigh  and  the  pacified  foe  were  obvious  ; 
but  the  wrestling  over  night  was  unknown." 

How  sweetly  Charles  Wesley  gives  poetic  expression  to  this 
whole  scene,  in  one  of  the  finest  hymns  in  our  language  : 

"  Come,  O  thou  Traveler  unknown, 

Whom  still  I  hold,  but  cannot  see; 
My  company  before  is  gone, 

And  I  am  left  alone  with  thee  : 
With  thee  all  night  I  mean  to  stay, 

And  wrestle  till  the  break  of  day. 

*'  I  need  not  tell  thee  who  I  am  ; 

My  sin  and  misery  declare  ; 
Thyself  hast  call'd  me  by  my  name  ; 


94  THE  world's  hope. 

Look  on  thy  hands,  and  read  it  there; 
But  who,  I  ask  thee,  who  art  thou  ? 
Tell  me  thy  name,  and  tell  me  now. 

**  In  vain  thou  strugglest  to  get  free; 
I  never  will  unloose  my  hold : 
Art  thou  the  Man  that  died  for  me? 

The  secret  of  thy  love  unfold : 
Wrestling,  I  will  not  let  thee  go, 
Till  I  thy  name,  thy  nature  know. 


"  Yield  to  me  now,  for  I  am  weak, 

But  confident  in  self-despair  ; 
Speak  to  my  heart,  in  blessings  speak; 

Be  conquer'd  by  my  instant  prayer  : 
Speak,  or  thou  never  hence  shall  move, 
And  tell  me  if  thy  name  be  Love. 

"  'Tis  Love  !  'tis  Love  !  thou  diedst  for  me; 

I  hear  thy  whisper  in  my  heart; 
The  morning  breaks,  the  shadows  flee; 

Pure,  universal  Love  thou  art : 
To  me,  to  all,  thy  bowels  move, — 
Thy  nature  and  thy  name  is  Love. 

*'  My  prayer  hath  power  with  God;  the  grace 

Unspeakable  I  now  receive; 
Through  faith  I  see  thee  face  to  face; 

I  see  thee  face  to  face,  and  live ! 
In  vain  I  have  not  wept  and  strove; 
Thy  nature  and  thy  name  is  Love. 

"  I  know  thee.  Savior,  who  thou  art, — 
Jesus,  the  feeble  sinner's  Friend  : 
Nor  wilt  thou  with  the  night  depart, 

But  stay  and  love  me  to  the  end: 
Thy  mercies  never  shall  remove; 
Thy  nature  and  thy  name  is  Love." 

It  might  seem  to  us,  after  such  a  marvelous  display  of  God's 
goodness,  and  such  abundant  proofs  that  he  was  fully  forgiven, 
that  Jacob's  trials  are  now  at  an  end.  But  alas !  there  still 
clings  to  God's  people  so  much  of  the  remains  of  sin,  such  a 
tendency  to  find  their  home  on  earth,  that  it  becomes  neces- 


JACOB.   THE  PREVAILER  WITH  GOD.  95 

sary  that  they  should  often  feel  the  sharp  strokes  of  the  rod  of 
affliction.  The  troubles  that  thicken  around  the  pathway  of 
the  patriarch,  are  a  proof  that  the  rod  is  held  by  the  hand  of 
love.  It  was  the  same  God  that  pardoned  his  sins,  that  gave 
him  the  assurance  of  his  love,  that  folded  him  in  the  covenant 
of  eternal  blessings,  that  permitted  those  distressing  afflictions 
to  come  upon  him.  Vv^e  cannot  here  dwell  upon  them.  His 
sons  treacherous  and  blood-thirsty ;  his  only  daughter  defiled  ; 
his  life  in  danger  from  his  neighbors  ,  his  favorite  son  supposed 
to  be  killed  and  long  mourned  as  lost  to  him ;  the  famine 
bringing  him  and  his  to  the  verge  of  starvation ;  all  these  trials 
bringing  from  his  soul  the  bitter  cry,  "  All  these  things  are 
against  me  ;"  presents  a  solemn  picture  of  the  way  in  which 
the  God  of  love  often  finds  it  necessary  to  lead  his  own  people. 
There  are  two  scenes  in  the  closing  up  of  Jacob's  life  in 
which  he  appears  to  great  advantage;  namely,  his  introduction 
to  Pharaoh,  and  his  dying  address  to  his  sons.  It  was  in  the 
eternal  counsels  of  God,  that  Jacob  should  go  down  to  Egypt ; 
but  what  striking  providences  and  strange  agencies  are  em- 
ployed to  bring  about  the  result !  Order,  at  last,  was  brought 
out  of  confusion,  and  the  sweetest  harmony  out  of  the  harshest 
discord. 

The  patriarch  stands  before  the  monarch  with  simple  dignity. 
The  plain  sliepherd  stands  before  the  most  powerful  prince 
then  upon  the  face  of  the  earth,  but  there  is  nothing  rude  in 
his  manners  on  the  one  hand,  nor  servile  and  sycophantic  on 
the  other.  "  And  Jacob  blessed  Pharaoh."  By  imploring  the 
blessing  of  God  upon  this  heathen  king  and  upon  his  empire, 
he  is  leadin^his  mind  to  think  of  that  great  Jehovah,  and  in  a 
way,  too,  that  could  not  give  offence.  And  how  impressive  his 
reply  when  he  is  asked  '  his  age,  "  The  days  of  the  years  of 
my  pilgrimage  are  an  hundred  and  thirty  years  ;  few  and  evil 
have  the  days  of  the  years  of  my  life  been."  He  knew  that  he 
was  standing  on  the  verge  of  eternity;  and  this  is  his  solemn 
review  of  his  life.  It  was  only  a  pilgrimage,  he  had  possessed 
no  certain  dwelling-place ;  but  God  had  prepared  for  him  a 
city,  and  by  the  eye  of  faith  he  could  already  see  its  open  gates. 


g6  THE    world's    HOPE. 

Though  his  might  be  called  a  long  life,  yet  he  speaks  of  his 
days  as/<f7i^'.  They  seem  so  when  we  look  back  upon  them. 
And  ez'i7  also.  Ah  !^  this  is  the  worst  of  it  all.  Days  of  suffer- 
ing, because  they  are  days  of  sin  ;  these  two  things  inseparably 
united  together.  How  humbling  in  reviewing  our  lives,  not  to 
be  able  to  think  of  one  day  without  sin — all  evil ;  not  one  in 
which  we  have  served  God  perfectly.  And  how  should  this 
lead  us  to  value  the  precious  blood  of  Jesus,  that  cleanseth  from 
all  sin. 

The  last  hour  of  the  man  of  God  has  come.  He  fears  it 
not,  but,  like  a  weary  child,  he  longs  to  go  to  his  rest.  "  Precious 
in  the  sight  of  the  Lord  is  the  death  of  his  saints."  God  is 
very  near  to  his  dying  servant,  and  imparts  to  him  the  spirit  of 
inspiration,  the  spirit  of  prophecy,  in  which  to  address  his 
sons  as  they  gather  around  his  bed.  "  Jacob  called  unto  his 
sons,  and  said.  Gather  yourselves  together,  and  hear,  ye  sons 
of  Jacob;  and  hearken  unto  Israel  your  father."  A  most  sol- 
emn sight  was  here.  The  dying  address  of  a  parent  is  always 
so,  under  almost  any  circumstances ;  but  when  the  words  of 
that  parent  are  inspired  words,  and  are  also  prophetic  of  the 
future,  his  voice  becomes  the  voice  of  God  himself. 

The  addresses  to  his  several  sons  are  most  solemn  and  im- 
pressive. That  to  Reuben  is  uncommonly  so.  He  is  reminded 
of  a  foul,  unnatural  crime  which  he  had  committed  forty  years 
before,  and  the  peculiar  weakness  of  his  character,  that  of  insta- 
bility, faithfully  pointed  out.  His  next  two  sons  had  been  united 
in  an  act  of  monstrous  cruelty  and  deception,  mingled  with  hor- 
rid impiety  ;  and  the  righteous  indignation  of  the  parent  flames 
out  against  their  sin.  Nowhere  does  sin  look  so  exceeding 
sinful  as  when  we  are  on  the  confines  of  glory,  with  all  its  sin- 
less beauty  about  to  break  upon  our  view.  It  was  an  hour  of 
deep  tenderness,  when  he  was  about  to  part  from  those  he  loved, 
but  no  parental  emotions  must  be  permitted  to  interfere  with 
faithfulness  to  their  souls. 

At  length  the  last  son  is  spoken  to  ,  the  last  v/ords  they  shall 
ever  hear  from  a  father's  lips  have  fallen  upon  their  ears.  His 
breath  shortens,  he  contracts  his  withered  limbs,  the  animation 


JACOB.   THE  PREVAILER  WITH  GOD.  97 

that  so  lately  flashed  in  his  eyes  dies  out,  and  the  neart  that 
had  throbbed  under  so  many  sorrows  is  at  last  at  rest.  And 
while  Joseph  casts  himself  upon  the  cold  clay,  weeping  out  the 
bitterness  of  his  anguish,  the  happy  soul  is  with  that  God  who 
had  met  with  him  at  Bethel.  He  is  no  longer  at  the  gate  of 
heaven,  but  in  its  glorious  courts,  to  go  no  more  out  forever. 

"  There  is  a  day  of  sunny  rest 
*  For  every  dark  and  troubled  night ; 
And  grief  may  bide  an  evening  guest, 
But  joy  shall  come  with  early  light.* 


g8  THE  world's  hope 


CHAPTER  VII. 

JOSEPH.       AN    EXAMPLE    TO    YOUNG    MEN. 

The  Story  of  Joseph  is  one  that  charms  and  interests  all  classes 
of  readers.  The  young  are  delighted  by  the  succession  of 
dramatic  scenes  through  which  he  passes  ;  while  the  more 
thoughtful  reader  sees  the  wonder-working  hand  of  God's  Prov- 
idence, bringing  from  small  beginnings  the  most  stupendous 
results.  His  life,  as  presented  on  the  page  of  inspiration,  is  one 
of  beautiful  symmetry ;  uniting  attention  to  the  duties  of  earth 
and  to  the  claims  of  eternity  ;  diligent  in  business  and  yet  fer- 
vent in  spirit;  making  the  most  of  both  worlds  by  giving  up 
his  whole  being  to  the  guidance  of  that  religion  which  is  profit- 
able for  the  life  that  now  is,  and  for  that  which  is  to  come. 

Joseph  is  brought  before  us  in  the  fresh  glow  of  his  boyhood's 
days,  v/hen  he  dwelt  with  his  fond  father  in  the  land  of  Canaan.. 
As  he  w^as  the  child  of  his  father's  old  age,  and  as  his  mother, 
of  loved  and  cherished  memory,  was  dead,  we  do  not  wonder 
when  told  that  he  was  much  petted  and  indulged  by  Jacob, 
who  showed  to  him  a  foolish  partiality  in  the  presence  of  the 
rest  of  his  children.  This  showed  itself  in  various  ways,  espe- 
cially in  providing  for  him  showy  and  expensive  clothing,  cal- 
culated to  excite  the  envy  of  his  brothers.  This  conduct  was 
wrong  on  the  part  of  the  father,  for  it  not  only  exposed  his  son 
to  the  hatred  of  his  brethren,  but  w^as  well  calculated  to  puff 
him  up  with  vanity.  Alas  !  how  many  young  men  are  ruined 
by  the  unreasonable  and  hurtful  indulgence  of  their  parents. 
Those  parents  wish  to  be  their  best  friends,  but  in  reality  prove 
their  worst  enemies ;  indulgence  in  idleness,  extravagance,  and 
unrestrained  passion,  crush  out  every  bud  of  fair  promise,  till 
parent  and  child  together  fall  under  the  crash  of  some  sad 
moral  delinquency.     We  can  find  some  apology  for  Jacob's 


JOSEPH.       AN    EXAMPLE    TO    YOUNG    MEN. 


99 


vionduct  in  the  fact  that  he  was  now  far  advanced  in  years,  and 
that  Joseph  v/as  the  son  of  his  beloved  Rachel ;  and  we  cannot 
but  admire  the  grace  of  God  in  preserving  the  youth  from  those 
heart  sins  to  which  his  father's  injudicious  conduct  exposed 
him. 

Just  at  this  time  Joseph  had  two  dreams,  which  seemed  to 
predict  his  future  preeminence  over  the  rest  of  the  family.  In 
the  innocence  of  his  heart  he  related  these  dreams  in  the  hear- 
ing of  his  brethren,  and  at  once  their  envy  was  turned  into 
hatred  and  brooding  revenge.  An  opportunity  soon  offers  for 
this  hatred  to  vent  itself  in  acts  of  deadly  cruelty.  His  breth- 
ren have  been  some  time  at  a  distance  from  home,  feeding  their 
flocks,  and  Joseph  is  sent  by  his  father  to  visit  them  and  bring 
back  word  of  their  welfare.  In  the  spirit  of  prompt  obedience 
that  marked  his  whole  career,  he  set  out  on  his  journey,  and 
after  some  time  spent  in  search,  at  last  found  them  at  Dothan. 
At  the  sight  of  him  all  the  malignity  and  rancor  that  had  long 
been  accumulating  in  their  hearts  became  roused  into  activity. 
The  first  proposal  is  to  njiurder  him  on  the  spot ;  but  they  are 
led  to  abandon  this  by  the  intervention  of  Reuben,  and  proceed 
to  cast  him  into  a  pit  in  the  wilderness.  But  the  thought  of 
leaving  him  to  perish  there  of  hunger  seems  to  have  touched 
the  heart  of  Judah,  and  through  his  intercession  they  came  to 
the  conclusion  to  sell  him  as  a  slave  to  a  company  of  Midian- 
itish  merchants  that  were  passing  at  this  time.  Before  parting 
with  him,  however,  they  strip  him  of  his  coat,  and  after  dipping 
it  in  the  blood  of  a  kid,  present  it  to  his  father  as  an  evidence 
that  his  son  has  been  killed  by  some  fierce  beast.  The  story 
was  believed,  and  the  old  man  in  the  bitterness  of  his  anguish 
says,  "I  will  go  down  into  the  grave  unto  my  son  mourning!" 

But  it  is  not  my  design  to  minutely  relate  the  story  of  Joseph, 
which  is  familiar  to  every  Sabbath  school  child ;  but  rather  to 
notice  how  his  faith  in  God  enabled  this  young  man  to  act,  in 
the  world  of  strangers,  among  whom  he  was  so  rudely  thrown, 
and  at  such  a  tender  age. 

And  first,  it  is  very  evident  that  Joseph  was  animated  by  re- 
ligious motives  and  feelings.     His  pious  father  had  shown  his 


lOO  THE    WORLD  S    HOPE. 

affection  for  him  in  better  ways  than  dressing  and  ornamenting 
his  body.  He  had  sought  to  lead  him  to  God,  and  to  have  his 
soul  clothed  in  those  holy  principles  which  are  the  noblest 
adornment.  Often  had  he  told  him  the  story  of  grace,  unfold- 
ed to  the  first  guilty  pair,  and  repeated  in  many  a  covenant 
promise  to  his  fathers  since.  And  the  principle  of  faith  had 
taken  up  its  abode  in  his  mind,  and  bore  fruits  unto  holiness, 
as  it  always  does,  casting  a  splendor  of  goodness  over  all  his 
subsequent  life. 

This  was  manifested  in  the  spirit  in  which  he  bore  his  inju- 
ries. For  one  so  tenderly  brought  up  and  so  fondly  indulged, 
to  become  all  at  once  the  victim  of  such  vile  treatment,  from 
those  that  he  had  never  injured,  and  from  whom  he  had  aright 
only  to  expect  kindness ;  would,  in  the  case  of  most  persons 
have  produced  a  dark,  sullen  spirit  of  utter  distrust  in  all  hu- 
man kind;  a  sour,  misanthropic  mood  of  mind;  that  would 
suspect  a  foe  in  every  man  that  approached  them,  and  a  hypo- 
crite in  every  one  showing  them  kindness.  With  many  the  in- 
juries he  received  would  have  produced  revenge,  gathering 
around  them  the  fierce  passions  of  perdition  itself.  But  noth- 
ing of  this  kind  is  seen  in  Joseph.  He  does  not  even  sink 
down  into  a  low,  despondent  state  of  mind,  as  some  weak  char- 
acters would  have  done;  but  proceeds  with  cheerful  energy  to 
fulfill  the  duties  belonging  to  his  position  of  life  into  which  the 
Providence  of  God  had  introduced  him.  And  how  ready  he 
was  to  forgive  the  injuries  inflicted  upon  him  !  He  did  not  say, 
with  some,  "I  might  forgive  some  things  ;  but  crimes  so  great,  so 
unnatural,  so  unprovoked,  I  can  never  forgive,  consistent  with 
my  own  self-respect."  This  is  only  giving  a  fine  name  to  the 
spirit  of  the  devil.  He  did  not  even  make  use  of  that  miserable, 
sneaking  expression,  "I  may  forgive,  but  I  can  never  forget." 
No,  in  after  years,  when  he  met  his  brethren  in  Egypt,  he  met 
them  with  a  generous,whole  hearted  forgiveness  ;  and  did  all  that 
he  could  to  lead  them  to  forget  their  fratricidal  conduct  toward 
him.  It  is  true  that  he  adopted  a  course  of  conduct  toward  them 
that  was  intended,  and  which  had  the  effect,  of  bringing  them 
to  repentance  for  their  past  crimes ;  but  this  was  for  their  good, 


JOSEPH.       AN    !:XAMPLE    TO    YOUNG    MEN.  lOI 

and  his  seeming  severity  was  as  trying  to  his  (>wn  generous, 
loving  heart,  as  it  was  to  them. 

At  last  we  see  Joseph  in  a  nev/  home,  but  one  very  different 
from  that  from  which  he  had  been  so  rudely  torn.  There  he 
was  a  free,  happy  youth,  living  in  the  sunshine  of  a  father's 
smiles;  now  he  is  a  slave.  There  he  had  pious  instruction  and 
holy  example ;  now  he  is  in  a  family  of  dark  heathenism,  and 
where  his  virtue  is  to  be  put  to  the  severest  test.  It  is  always 
a  critical  time  in  a  young  man's  life  when  he  leaves  home  influ- 
ences, and  enters  upon  new  scenes,  far  from  paternal  restraints. 
But  if  he  has  the  love  of  God  in  his  heart,  if  he  makes  a  con- 
science of  carrying  his  religion  into  every  thing  he  does,  it  will 
protect  him  from  the  corruptions  of  earth,  and  the  temptations 
of  hell.  Greater  is  He  that  is  for  him  than  all  that  can  be 
against  him  ;  and  he  will  be  brought  off  more  than  a  conqueror. 

So  we  are  told  that  the  Lord  was  with  Joseph  in  his  new 
home.  He  was  in  the  path  of  duty,  suffering  wrong,  but  not 
doing  wrong ;  and  so  he  felt  a  comfortable  assurance  of  the 
Divine  favor.  As  Andrew  Fuller  says,  "  What  a  difference  is 
there  betv/een  the  cases  of  Joseph  and  Jonah  !  They  were  both 
in  trouble,  both  absent  from  God's  people,  both  among  the  hea- 
then; but  the  sufferings  of  the  one  were  for  righteousness' sake, 
while  those  of  the  other  were  of  his  own  procuring. 

It  is  worthy  of  notice  that  Joseph  brings  prosperity  into  his 
new  home.  "  His  master  saw  that  the  Lord  was  with  him,  and 
that  the  Lord  made  all  that  he  did  to  prosper  in  his  hand." 
This  shows  that  this  young  servant  of  God  had  not  kept  his  re- 
ligion concealed — that  he  had  not  been  ashamed  of  it.  He  had 
not,  to  avoid  persecution,  joined  in  the  idolatry  of  Egypt ;  but 
openly  worshioed  the  true  God  of  heaven  and  earth.  This 
display  of  principle,  of  true  manly  piety,  gives  his  master,  such 
confidence  in  him,  that  he  promotes  him  to  be  steward  over  all 
his  affairs.  God  not  only  blesses  his  own  children,  but  makes 
them  a  blessing.  Just  as  Laban  had  been  prospered  for  Jacob's 
sake,  so  Joseph  became  a  great  blessing  to  Potiphar,  and  after^ 
wards  to  the  whole  land  of  Egypt. 

Joseph  is  now  in  comfortable  circumstances.     A  tide  of  sue- 


I02  THE    WORLD  S    HOPE. 

cess  flows  in  upon  him ;  every  thing  that  he  did  prospered, 
and  a  brilliant  prospect  spread  out  before  him.  No  doubt,  he 
often  thought'  of  the  vale  of  Hebron,  and  the  loving  father  that 
he  had  left  there ;  but  in  the  land  of  strangers,  his  father's  God 
had  been  with  him,  and  he  felt  happy. 

But  life  is  a  mixed  state.  Joys  and  sorrows,  smiles  and  tears, 
sunshine  and  clouds,  are  strangely  mingled  together.  In  the 
day  of  our  brightest  prosperity  we  may  prepare  for  a  day  of  ad- 
versity. A  dungeon  is  awaiting  Joseph.  Fiery  trials  are  ap- 
pointed him.  His  faith  in  God  is  yet  to  be  more  severely  tried. 
The  wife  of  his  master  is  a  profligate  woman,  one  of  those  who 
urged  him  into  "  the  way  to  hell."  We  know  something  of  the 
low  state  of  morality  among  these  Pagan  nations,  sunk  in  gross 
darkness  ;  and  as  this  woman  was  ignorant  of  the  true  God,  an 
Idolater,  a  worshiper  of  animals  and  loathsome  insects^  we  do 
not  wonder  at  her  degradation.  But  we  tremble  for  the  young 
man.  Will  he  remember  God  }  Will  his  religion  sustain  him 
in  this  fiery  trial.'*  There  are  few  forms  of  temptation  more 
dangerous  to  young  men  than  that  of  sensuality ;  and  none^  if 
yielded  to^that  will  prove  so  ruinous  to  soul  and  body,  for  time 
and  eternity.  Joseph  stands,  as  it  were,  upon  the  brink  of  a 
fearful  peril,  and  the  welfare  of  his  whole  future  is  suspended 
upon  the  decision  of  a  moment. 

His  situation  reminds  us  of  what  occurred  near  Niagara 
Falls,  some  years  ago.  A  steamboat  started  from  Buffalo  with 
<some  hundreds  of  persons  on  board,  for  the  Falls.  The  nearest 
point  that  it  was  safe  for  the  boat  to  approach  the  great 
cataract  was  Chippewa  Creeks  about  ten  miles  above  it,  on  the 
Canada  side.  The  excursionists  spent  a  happy  day  in  visiting 
the  scenes  around  the  Falls,  and  toward  night  got  on  board 
the  boat  to  return  to  their  homes.  By  some  mismanagement  on 
the  part  of  the  engineer,  a  sufficient  quantity  of  steam  had  not 
been  generated,  and  when  the  boat  passed  out  of  the  creek, 
and  encountered  the  rapid  current  of  the  river,  instead  of  going 
forward  she  began  slowly  to  drift  back  toward  the  awful  cataract. 

All  was  now  wild  consternation  on  board.  The  roar  of  the 
Falls  could  be  heard  in  the  distance^  and  the  remorseless  river 


JOSEPH.       AN    EXAMPLE    TO    YOUNG    MEN.  I03 

was  drawing  them  on  to  their  doom.  At  length  a  happy- 
thought  entered  the  mind  of  the  engineer.  He  took  the  oil 
that  was  on  board  for  lubricating  the  machinery,  and  threw  it 
into  the  furnace.  The  flames  blazed  up  with  intense  heat ; 
more  steam  was  speedily  the  result,  and  then  came  a  struggle 
between  the  boat  and  the  sweep  of  the  mighty  river.  The  re- 
sult is  watched  with  almost  breathless  anxiety  by  the  hundreds 
whose  lives  depend  upon  the  issue  ;  but  soon  they  see  by  ob- 
jects upon  the  shore  that  the  boat  is  moving  upwards,  and 
when  in  a  short  time  she  strikes  calmer  waters  and  the  point  of 
danger  is  passed,  a  shout  of  joy  ascends  from  every  heart.  An 
old,  gray  haired  man  lifted  his  hat  and  said,  "  The  Lord  has  de- 
livered us.  Let  us  pray."  And  the  multitude  kneeled  down 
upon  the  deck,  while  the  voice  of  their  thanksgiving  went  up 
to  God  along  with  the  voice  of  the  mighty  Falls. 

To  a  worse  danger  than  this  was  Joseph  exposed ;  and  when 
we  see  the  calm  look  that  he  casts  to  heaven  for  help ;  and  in- 
stead of  the  fires  of  unholy  passion  burning  in  his  eye,  we  see 
there  a  fixed  resolve  to  do  right,  we  rejoice  in  deepest  sympa- 
thy with  that  right ;  and  when  he  gives  utterance  to  the  noble 
sentiment,  "  How  can  I  do  this  great  wickedness,  and  sin 
against  God.?"  we  cannot  doubt  that  a  youth  so  well  begun 
will  be  crowned  with  a  useful  and  honored  close. 

Here  v/e  see  the  value  and  importance  of  an  early  religious 
training.  Divine  truth  impressed  upon  the  mind  from  the  ear- 
liest dawnings  of  intelligence,  accompanied  with  believing 
prayer,  cannot  fail.  God's  word  of  command  and  of  promise 
on  this  point  is,  "  Train  up  a  child  in  the  way  he  should  go, 
and  when  he  is  old  he  v/ill  not  depart  from  it."  The  child  is 
not  only  to  be  taught  but  to  be  trained.  There  is  often  a  great 
deal  of  teaching  ^yhere  there  is  no  training  at  all.  The  owner 
of  the  vineyard  does  not  let  the  vine  run  any  w^here  it  likes ; 
but  v/ith  a  wise  and  skillful  hand  he  trains  it.  It  must  grow  up 
in  the  direction  he  wishes. 

The  following  touching  tribute  of  a  young  minister  on  the  oc- 
casion of  his  ordination,  to  the  efficacy  of  a  mother's  training, 
is  worth  quoting  here :  "  I  have  no  miracle  to  publish ;  I  have 


I04  THE    WORLD  S    HOPE 

no  surprising  or  sudden  change  to  relate ;  but  blessed  be  His 
name,  I  was  brought  up  in  the  nurture  and  admonition  of  the 
Lord.  The  taking  of  my  little  hand  in  hers — I  think  I  feel  it 
still — and  leading  me  aside  to  pray ;  her  concern  on  returning 
from  the  house  of  God,  to  enable  me  to  remember  and  under- 
stand the  sermon  ;  the  murmur  of  her  dear  voice  at  her  devo- 
tion as  I  passed  her  chamber  door ;  the  maxims  and  principles 
she  lodged  in  my  infant  mind ;  the  tears  that  bedewed  her  re- 
proofs ;  the  caresses  that  enforced  her  entreaties  ;  her  cheer- 
fulness that  constantly  said,  'O  taste  and  see  that  the  Lord  is 
good  ;'  her  example,  that  embodied  her  religion,  and  made  it  as 
lovely  as  herself;  these  endear  the  memory  of  a  mother  from 
whom,  under  God,  I  have  derived  my  spiritual  as  well  as  my 
natural  life." 

Joseph  thought  of  God's  all  seeing  eye  when  under  tempta- 
tion. This  showed  that  his  religion  was  a  practical  reality. 
A  man  may  hold,  as  a  matter  of  mere  speculative  belief,  that 
God  sees  all  that  he  does ;  but  if  he  can  take  liberties  under 
the  inspection  of  God,  which  he  would  not  take  under  the  eyes 
of  his  fellow  men,  he  is  little  better  than  an  atheist.  Extend- 
ing to  all  the  thoughts  of  our  minds,  penetrating  to  all  the  se- 
crets of  our  hearts,  to  the  motives  of  out  actions,  to  the  work- 
ing of  our  affections,  to  the  whole  frame-work  of  our  lives, 
should  be  the  great  truth,  *'*Thou  God  seest  me." 

Suppose  that  there  was  one  spot  somewhere  in  the  universe 
where  God  could  not  look,  could  not  see  all  that  is  going  on ; 
would  you,  my  reader,  like  to  live  in  such  a  place  ?  If  one 
country  could  be  discovered  where  we  were  as  invisible  to  God 
as  He  is  to  us,  would  you  like  to  emigrate  to  that  land  ?  If  a 
place  could  be  found  out  where  God  took  no  notice  of  men's 
actions,  where  Bibles  and  Sabbaths  are  unknown,  would  you  be 
found  flocking  along  with  the  multitude  that  longed  to  reach  that 
God-forsaken  spot  ?  These  questions,  if  pressed  upon  the  con- 
science, will  prove  a  real  test  of  character  to  us.  There  are 
many  who  would  be  in  their  element  in  such  a  place,  for  as  far 
as  they  can  succeed  in  forgetting  God,  they  are  trying  to  turn 
the  world  into  such  a  place. 


JOSEPH.       AN    EXAMPLE    TO    YOUNG    MEN.  105 

To  good  men  the  thought  of  such  a  world  or  place  is  r/^pul- 
sive.  It  might  be  rich  in  all  that  is  attractive  and  gratifying  to 
the  senses ;  but  to  live  under  the  solemn,  loving  eye  of  God  l« 
a  pleasure  to  the  good  man.  To  feel  that  his  work  and  his 
worship  are  alike  under  the  inspection  of  his  heavenly  Father, 
is  to  him  a  delight.  He  does  not  look  upon  the  Holy  One  as 
a  spy  upon  his  actions,  looking  upon  all  he  does  for  the  pur- 
pose of  finding  fault ;  but  rather  as  a  loving  friend  who  is 
watching  for  his  good.  He  would  not,  for  all  worlds,  have  it 
otherwise  than  it  is.  He  feels  himself  under  the  loving  eye 
of  One  to  whom  we  can  ever  come  in  the  confidence  of  faith, 
who  knows  all  his  wants  better  than  he  could  express  them, 
and  who  never,  for  one  second  of  time,  loses  sight  of  him  or 
his  affairs.  If  there  was  one  instant  of  our  lives  when  God 
did  not  see  us,  we  might  fear  for  our  security.  We  might  fear 
that  then  the  enemy  would  come  in  upon  us  like  a  flood,  and  that 
we  should  one  day  perish  by  the  hand  of  our  ever  malignant  foe. 
But  there  is  no  such  vacancy,  where  God  is  not.  He  is  ever 
near.  The  whole  universe  is  full  of  his  presence.  The  very 
smallest  or  meanest  object  upon  which  we  can  look  speaks  of 
constant  superintendence. 

Young  man,  make  God  your  friend  by  faith  in  Jesus,  and 
you  will  love  to  think  that  God  is  near  you,  seeing  you  and 
thinking  of  you.  When  temptation  comes  upon  you  like  a 
roaring  flood,  the  thought  that  His  eye  is  upon  you  will  be  like 
an  anchor  to  your  souL  It  will  hold  you  in  safety  as  it  held 
Joseph.  You  will  learn  to  do  all  as  in  his  sight,  but  for  his 
glory.  You  will  do  all  that  you  can  do  heartily,  as  to  the 
Lord.  And  then^  in  the  great  day  of  Judgment  he  will  own  our 
work  tliat  we  have  done  for  the  humblest  of  his  people,  as  done 
for  himself.  "  Inasmuch  as  ye  did  it  unto  one  of  the  least  of 
these  my  brethren,  ye  did  it  unto  me."  A  gentleman,  after 
hearing  a  sermon  on  this  text,  said  :  "A  few  days  since  I  car- 
ried to  a  poor  christian  woman  a  comforter,  warm  but  well 
worn,  and  two  loaves  of  bread,  good  bread,  but  a  little  stale. 
The  weather  was  very  cold,  and  the  comforter  was  gratefully 
received.     The  poor  woman  was  hungry,  and  the  bread  was 


I06  THE    world's    hope. 

better  than  she  usually  obtained.  But  while  listening  to  the 
sermon  to-day,  I  thought  that  I  had  reflected  that  it  was  Jesus 
I  was  visiting  in  the  person  of  one  of  his  disciples,  I  would 
have  taken  a  new  comforter  and  fresh  bread." 

There  is  one  point  of  great  importance  in  the  history  of 
Joseph,  and  from  the  consideration  of  which  we  may  derive 
much  instruction,  his  refusal  to  do  wrong,  and  his  firm  adher- 
ence to  the  right,  brought  him  in  the  first  place  into  great 
trouble.  It  led  to  the  loss  of  his  situation,  of  his  reputation, 
and  of  his  liberty.  This  is  one  of  the  trials  of  our  probation, 
that  goodness  is  not  always  rewarded  with  happiness  and  pros- 
perity at  once.  This  is  one  of  the  severe  trials  of  faith  in 
every  age,  that  vice  seems  for  a  time  to  flourish  and  walk  upon 
the  heights  of  prosperity,  while  virtue  is  trampled  in  the  dust. 
Potiphar's  wife,  living  in  pomp  and  great  worldly  grandeur,  and 
regarded  by  her  friends  as  a  very  model  of  virtuous  propriety ; 
and  Joseph  living  in  prison  under  a  degrading  charge,  is  a  case 
in  point.  If  doing  right  always  led  to  immediate  and  direct 
prosperity,  there  would  be  little  room  for  the  exercise  of  faith. 
People,  in  that  case,  would  be  under  strong  temptation  to  fol- 
low the  right,  as  some  followed  the  Savior  when  upon  earth, 
for  the  loaves  and  the  fishes.  But  doing  right  often  leads,  in 
the  first  place,  to  the  loss  of  a  man's  property,  to  the  loss 
of  his  good  name,  and  it  may  be  to  the  loss  of  his  life.  It 
often  leads  to  the  prison,  to  the  instruments  of  torture,  and  to 
the  scaffold.  It  must,  therefore,  be  chosen  for  its  own  sake  by 
those  who  would  persevere  in  well  doing  to  the  end. 

It  is  true,  that  in  the  end,  the  religious  man  makes  the  most 
of  both  worlds  ;  that  his  religion  proves  profitable  both  for  time 
and  eternity  ;  and  that  even  amid  the  worst  trials  and  perse- 
cutions to  which  his  principles  may  expose  him,  he  has  an 
inward  peace,  a  heavenly  calm  in  the  consciousness  of  right, 
that  makes  him  rejoice  that  he  is  counted  v/orthy  to  sufi"er  in  a 
righteous  cause.  The  truth  may  call  upon  us  to  make  sacri- 
fices in  her  interests,  but  she  abundantly  makes  up  for  all  such 
losses.  The  germ  of  eternal  life  is  deposited  in  the  believer's 
heart,  when  he  first  receives  the  truth,  and  it  goes  on  expand- 


JOSEPH.       AN    EXAMPLE    TO    YOUNG    MEN.  107 

ing  into  the  blessed  fruit  of  ete /nal  glory.  In  seeking  the 
kingdom  of  heaven  first,  they  seci.re  all  other  things  that  they 
can  jDossibly  require.  Listen  to  t'  e  words  of  the  blessed  Re- 
deemer, "  And  no  man  has  left  houses,  lands,  wife,  children, 
family,  for  my  sake,  who  shall ■  no"  receive  in  this  life  an  hun- 
dred fold."  Yes;  heaven's  bank  pays  a  hundred  per  cent. 
The  man  who  lives  under  the  approving  smile  of  God  is  rich, 
though  living  in  outward  poverty ;  and  happy,  though  the  ob- 
ject of  the  world's  bitter  rage.  God  is  his  and  he  has  all  in 
Him. 

Joseph's  religion  kept  his  temper  sweet,  and  his  sympathy 
with  humanity  Avarm  and  strong,  notwithstanding  all  his  trials. 
There  are  many  who  when  they  suffer  from  the  cruelty  and  the 
malignity  of  their  fellow  creatures,  become  soured  and  crabbed 
in  their  disposition  ;  lose  all  confidence  in  humanity,  suspect- 
ing a  villain,  either  open  or  concealed,  in  every  man  they  meet. 
They  sink  down  into  a  dark  misanthropic  spirit,  till  hateful  and 
hating,  they  are  shunned  by  all.  Not  so  with  Joseph.  He  had 
been  grievously  injured  by  others,  even  by  those  that  he  had 
every  reason  to  trust.  Yet  his  sympathies  are  as  ardent  and 
his  heart  as  warm  toward  his  fellow  men,  as  if  he  had  met  with 
no  disappointn-ient.  No  sooner  dees  he  enter  his  prison  than, 
instead  of  sitting  down,  sullen  and  Lulky,  in  a  corner  of  his  cell, 
he  begins  to  make  himself  useful  to  others.  He  enters  into  the 
troubles  of  his  fellow-prisoners.  He  becomes  cheerfully  the 
servant  of  servants.  God  was  preparing  him  for  a  situation  of 
great  responsibility,  honor,  and  usefulness  ;  and  he  took  kindly 
to  the  necessary  lessons.  He  learned  to  bear  the  yoke  in  his 
youth.  He  learned  to  govern  by  first  learning  to  obey.  He 
stooped  in  order  to  be  lifted  up — he  humbled  himself  in  order 
to  be  exalted. 

Joseph  is  exalted  to  great  wealth  and  honor  and  power  in 
the  land  of  Egypt.  His  elevation  is  sudden  as  it  is  great. 
How  does  he  bear  it  ?  It  is  difficult  to  carry  a  full  and  flow- 
ing cup.  It  is  hard  to  stand  upon  a  great  height  without  gid- 
diness. The  tempest  passes  over  th  2  modest  flower  that  reposes 
in  the  valley,  but  sweeps  down  the  lofty  tree  that  lifts  its  head 


Io8  THE    world's    hope. 

high  upon  the  mountain's  brow.  Many  a  man  who  in  poverty 
and  obscurity  gave  great  promise  of  usefulness  on  earth  and 
of  glory  in  heaven,  has  been  dragged  down  to  hell  by  golden 
weights,  under  the  curse  of  both  God  and  man.  Nearly  all 
are  willing  to  try  the  experiment,  to  try  the  test ;  only  a  few 
elect  spirits  of  the  race  come  out  of  it  triumphant.  Joseph 
was  one  of  these.  He  shows  the  same  lofty  regard  to  God's 
will  when  he  stands  next  to  the  throne,  as  when  he  occupied 
a  prisoner's  cell.  The  same  heart,  fearing  God  and  loving 
righteousness,  that  beat  under  the  slave's  fetters,  throbbed 
under  the  gold  chain,  the  emblem  of  royal  authority.  The 
same  reverence  for  the  great  God  reigned  in  his  soul  when  he 
rolled  along  in  the  chariot  of  State,  as  when  he  was  dragged 
along,  the  poor,  sorrowing  captain  of  the  Midianites. 

In  short,  Joseph  carried  his  religion  with  him  wherever  he 
went,  and  in  whatever  situation  he  occupied.  And  this  is  the 
nature  of  all  true  religion.  It  has  an  all-pervading  power. 
Some  one  has  aptly  said,  "  The  grace  of  God  is  not  an  aro- 
matic perfume,  to  be  put  into  a  glass  bottle,  corhed,  stopped, 
and  laid  aside  for  special  occasions  ;  but  it  is  that  which  should 
overflow,  and  give  tone,  and  fragrance,  and  ornament  to  all 
that  man  is."  There  is  no  need  of  a  man  going  out  of  the 
world  in  order  to  be  a  christian ;  but  rather  let  him  carry  his 
religion,  with  its  sanctifying  influence,  into  all  he  does,  and 
thinks,  and  says.  Let  him  discharge  well  the  duties  belonging 
to  the  situation  where  God  has  placed  him  ;  yet  keeping  his 
heart  fixed  upon  heavenly  things.  Soon  the  things  of  the 
world  that  now  captivate  and  ensnare  unstable  souls,  shall  have 
passed  away  like  a  dream ;  and  then  blessed  shall  be  those 
souls  whose  hopes  rest  upon  the  unchanging  Savior  alone. 

Another  thing  in  Joseph's  character  worthy  of  our  admira- 
tion and  imitation,  is  his  deep  filial  reverence.  His  affection  to 
his  father  is  manifested  in  the  most  unequivocal  ways,  on  every 
occasion.  The  first  question  which  he  asks  his  brethren  is, 
"  Doth  my  father  yet  live  ?"  and  then  with  what  eagerness  does 
he  charge  his  brethren,  saying,  "  Haste  you,  and  go  up  to  my 
father,  and  say  unto  him,  thus  saith  thy  son  Joseph,  God  hath 


JOSEPH.       AN    EXAMPLE    TO    YOUNG    MEN.  lOQ 

made  mc  lord  of  all  Egypt :  come  down  unto  me,  tarry  not." 
And  when  he  first  meets  his  father  how  affecting  the  scene  t 
With  tears  streaming  from  his  eyes,  he  hangs  upon  his  father's 
neck,  and  the  many  trials  of  his  life  and  home- sickness  of  his 
heart,  are  all  forgotten  in  that  long  and  loving  embrace.  He 
seen:LS  as  if  he  could  not  do  enough  for  his  parent's  comfort. 
He  watches  over  his  declining  years  with  a  love  tender  as  a 
mother's ;  and  when  at  last  he  dies,  the  affectionate  son  "  fell 
upon  his  father's  face,  and  wept  upon  him,  and  kissed  him." 
No  trouble  is  spared  to  show  respect  to  the  remains,  and  love 
to  the  memory  of  the  departed  one.  The  whole  picture  is 
most  beautiful. 

How  beautiful  in  children  is  reverence  and  respect  for  their 
parents.  A  young  man  was  leaving  home  to  enter  upon  the 
stern  duties  and  dangerous  encounters  of  life,  when  with  tears 
in  his  eyes,  he  said,  "  Now  then,  mother,  I  am  all  ready.  I 
am  very  sad,  though  I  am  ashamed  to  say  it.  How  I  shall 
miss  you  and  all  in  the  dear  old  home  !  Do  write  often.  I  am 
ashamed  of  my  weakness." 

"  Love  for  your  mother  and  your  home  is  no  weakness,  my 
boy;"  was  her  reply.  "  If  you  left  home  without  regret,  I 
should  think  that  I  had  been  a  bad  mother  to  you.  Do  not 
forget  your  mother's  God.  He  will  always  be  near  you— a 
present  help — a  powerful  friend."  A  kind  embrace,  a  last  kiss, 
and  John  was  gone  to  battle  with  the  world.  But  the  memory 
of  that  mother's  prayers,  and  the  deep  love  and  reverence  he 
had  for  her  was  a  protection  in  many  an  hour  of  trial  and 
temptation. 

I  have  no  wish  to  be  unduly  fault-finding,  but  I  fear  that 
truth  compels  the  assertion,  that  want  of  respect  for  parents 
is  peculiarly  the  sin  of  our  age  and  country.  Young  people 
do  not  now,  I  fear,  show  that  reverence  for  parents  and  that 
respect  for  old  age  that  marked  a  by-gone  period.  Many  of 
them,  at  least,  are  so  very  wise  in  their  own  conceit,  that  the 
counsels  of  wisdom  and  experience  are  set  down  very  promptly 
as  the  drivelings  of  old-fogyism.  To  despise  paternal  author- 
ity they  think  a  sign  of  wisdom.     I  am  now  addressing  young 


no  THE    WORLD  S    HOPE. 

men,  some  living  at  home,  and  some  far  from  the  parental  roof. 
I  ask  their  special  attention  to  a  few  words  on  this  important 
subject. 

I  hold  up  to  you  Joseph  as  an  example  of  what  a  young  man 
should  be  to  his  parents.  How  tender,  considerate,  obedient 
and  kind  he  was  the  whole  inspired  narrative  shows.  I  can 
assure  you  that  few  subjects  are  more  practically  important  to 
you  than  this.  There  are  many  homes  in  our  land  that  might 
be  happy,  but  have  a  dark  shadow  of  wretchedness  thrown 
over  them  by  the  disobedience  of  sons.  Many  a  father  has  a 
withering  blight  thrown  over  his  old  age,  and  his  gray  hairs 
brought  down  with  sorrow  to  the  grave ;  and  many  a  loving 
mother  is  bowed  down  in  broken-hearted  anguish,  on  account 
of  the  rude,  cruel,  and  undutiful  conduct  of  those  who  might 
have  made  their  last  days  their  best  days.  Ah  !  God  will  not 
hold  such  guiltless.  His  awful  curse  is  upon  them  now,  and 
will  chase  them  into  eternity,  if  they  repent  not.  Even  upon 
earth  the  righteous  Judge  often  visits  this  sin  with  his  most  ter- 
rible judgments. 

What  base  ingratitude  marks  the  sin  of  disobedience  to 
parents !  In  the  helpless  days  of  infancy  they  watched  over 
you.  In  sickness  they  spent  long,  sleepless  nights  attending 
you,  and  their  tears  fell  in  showers  over  your  couch  when 
dangerous  symptoms  appeared.  For  you  they  toiled  and 
planned  and  thought  and  exercised  self-denial,  long  before  you 
were  conscious  of  all  this  love  Through  your  whole  life  these 
true  hearts  have  beat  responsive  to  your  welfare  ;  and  even 
now  would  they  lay  down  their  lives  for  you.  And  yet,  it  may 
be  at  this  moment,  you  are  treating  them  with  cruel  neglect  or 
with  insolent  scorn  !  It  is  a  wonder  of  forbearance,  that  a 
thunderbolt  has  not  leaped  from  the  hand  of  the  Almighty  to 
smite  you  for  such  ingratitude.  And  were  society  not  in  such 
a  corrupt  state,  you  would  be  shunned  as  a  deadly  plague,  and 
treated  as  a  monster  of  depravity. 

Remember  that  these  parents  v/ill  not  long  be  with  you. 
Infirmities  are  gathering  thick  and  fast  around  them.  A  few 
more  years,  and  they  will  be  laid  away  to  sleep  in  the  silent 


JOSEPH.       AN    EXAMPLE    TO    YOUNG    MEN.  Ill 

grave.  You  should  use  them  well  and  love  them  well  while 
you  have  them.  If  not,  your  conscience  may  wake  up  its 
sleeping  thunders  over  their  graves,  and  make  your  soul  tremble 
under  its  blasting  rebukes.  Remembering  the  past  when  it  is 
too  late,  remorse  may  prey  upon  your  soul  with  a  vulture's  ap- 
petite. The  most  appalling  sight  I  ever  saw  was  the  wild 
despair  and  bitter  remorse  of  a  wicked,  disobedient  son  ovel 
the  grave  of  his  mother.  "  O,  if  I  had  her  back  for  only  one 
hour,  that  on  my  knees  I  might  ask  her  forgiveness!"  he  cried, 
as  with  clenched  fists  he  smote  his  breast  in  his  agony.  It 
reminded  one  of  the  despair  of  the  lost. 

As  a  general  rule  people  die  as  they  live.  "  Tell  me,"  said 
one  to  a  minister,  "  how  he  died  ?"  "  There  is  a  more  import- 
ant question  than  that,"  was  the  reply  ;  "  that  is,  how  he  lived." 
Joseph  lived  a  life  of  faith,  and  he  died  in  faith.  "  By 
faith  Joseph,  when  he  died  made  mention  of  the  departing 
of  the  children  of  Israel ;  and  gave  commandment  concern- 
ing his  bones."  That  is,  he  had  strong  faith  in  God's 
promises  that  his  people  would  be  brought  up  out  of  that 
land  to  the  fair  Canaan  that  had  been  promised  them.  His 
last  vvords  were,  "  I  die;  and  God  will  surely  visit  you,  and 
bring  you  out  of  this  land  unto  the  land  which  he  sware 
to  Abraham,  to  Isaac,  and  to  Jacob."  God  had  done  great 
things  for  him  in  Egypt.  There  he  had  been  raised  up  to  great 
splendor  and  greatness;  but  all  that  could  not  make  him  for- 
get his  loved  Canaan.  There  was  his  home,  and  there  went  his 
heart's  dearest  affections.  So  it  is  with  the  Christian  now. 
God  may  here  give  him  many  comforts  and  blessings.  A  com- 
fortable home,  kind  friends,  positions  of  honor  and  usefulness, 
and  many  things  that  make  this  life  happy ;  but  still  he  knows 
that  this  is  not  his  home,not  his  r  est.  He  often  makes  men- 
tion of  Canaan,  of  his  glorious  home  above,  and  longs  to 
depart  and  be  with  Christ,  which  is  far  better, 

"He  gave  commandment  concerning  his  bones."  The  soul 
is  the  chief  part  of  the  man,  but  we  cannot  be  indifferent  to 
the  body  that  has  been  the  soul's  dwelling-place  for  so  long  a 
time.     Joseph's  heart  had  not  rested  in  Egypt,  nor  did  he  wish 


112  THE    WORLDS    HOPE. 

his  dust  to  rest  there.  That  the  body,  so  fearfully  and  wonder- 
fully made,  and  yet,  in  its  glorified  state,  to  be  the  eternal  com- 
panion of  the  soul,  should  be  to  us  an  object  of  some  solicitude, 
is  in  accordance  v/ith  both  nature  and  revelation.  Some  affect 
an  utter  indifference  as  to  what  may  be  done  with  their  bodies 
when  they  die.  But  if  God  cares  for  his  people's  dead  bodies, 
watches  over  them,  and  has  promised  to  give  them  a  glorious 
resurrection,  surely  it  would  be  the  silliest  of  affectations  for 
them  to  profess  indifference  to  the  whole  subject. 

How  blessed  the  close  of  a  holy,  useful  life.  Joseph's  life 
had  been  one  of  great  vicissitude,  but  with  triumph  he  entered 
upon  the  rest  that  remains  for  the  people  of  God.  O,  who  can 
tell  the  bliss  of  that  moment,  when  he  entered  upon  his  eternal 
reward  ;  and  received  it  as  the  reward  purchased  for  him  by 
Christ's  blood  !  There,  with  the  choice  spirits  of  the  universe, 
with  angels  that  never  sinned,  and  above  all,  with  Jesus,  the 
mediator  of  the  new  covenant,  he  is  now  enjoying  unspeakable 
bliss. 

"  Calm  are  the  holy  dead 

When  the  passion  of  life  is  o'er, 
When  the  green  turf  flowers  o'er  the  resting  head, 
And  the  turbulent  dreams  of  the  world  have  fled, 

And  the  wild  heart  throbs  no  more  ! 

"  Bless'd  are  the  holy  dead, 

Though  dark  were  their  lot  before  ; 
For  heal'd  are  the  wounds  that  on  earth  have  bled, 
And  dried  are  the  tears  that  on  earth  were  shed 

For  the  sorrows  that  they  bore  ! " 

"Wise  are  the  noble  dead — • 
Ay,  wise  with  a  noble  lore-, 
For  to  their  clear  glances  are  open  spread    ■ 
The  scrolls  where  the  secrets  of  God  are  read. 
In  the  heaven  where  angels  soar  I " 


MOSES.       THE    MAN    OF    GOD. 


"3 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

MOSES.       THE    MAN    OF    GOD. 

Moses  was  one  of  the  greatest  men  intellectually  that  ever 
the  great  God  made.  And  yet  so  great  are  his  moral  qualities, 
and  SO  much  are  our  minds  filled  with  the  contemplation  of 
them,  that  we  scarcely  ever  think  of  his  intellectual  greatness 
at  all.  And  yet  in  every  light  in  which  we  can  view  him, 
where  can  we  find  his  equal }  As  a  writer,  as  a  poet,  as  a 
legislator,  as  a  military  leader,  and  as  a  philosopher,  he  towers 
up  above  all  other  men,  as  Mount  Blanc  rises  in  surpassing 
grandeur  above  the  common  mountains  of  the  world. 

But  it  is  upon  his  moral  greatness  that  the  Bible  chiefly  fixes 
our  attention,  because  these  are  something  that  we  can  imitate. 
We  cannot  be  like  him  in  the  overshadowing  grandeur  of  his 
intellect,  but  in  his  faith,  in  his  love,  in  his  nearness  to  God,  in 
his  sweet  communion  with  Jehovah,  in  hours  and  days  of  soli- 
tude, we  can  be  as  he  was.  He  was  a  man  of  like  passions 
with  ourselves,  and  all  that  God's  mighty  grace  did  for  him  it 
can  do  for  us.  We  have  the  same  God  to  go  to,  the  same  blood 
of  atonement  to  bring  us  near,  the  same  throne  of  grace  to 
approach,  and  the  same  mighty  motives  of  love  to  urge  us  on 
to  the  surrender  of  our  whole  being  to  God's  service.  Nay, 
we  live  under  a  brighter  dispensation,  under  a  clearer  light 
than  he  enjoyed ;  and  our  love  to  God  should  be  greater,  and 
our  song  of  gratitude  more  abundant  than  was  his. 

It  has  been  common  when  speaking  of  Moses  to  speak  of  his 
meekness  as  being  the  most  prominent  feature  of  his  character. 
But  the  inspired  writer  speaks  of  his  faith.  "  By  faith  Moses, 
when  he  was  come  to  years,  refused  to  be  called  the  son  of 
Pharaoh's  daughter  ;  choosing  rather  to  suffer  affliction  with 
the  people  of  God,  than  to  enjoy  the  pleasures  of  sin  for  a 
season."     This  is  always   done  in   the  Bible.     The  Centurion 


114  "^^^  world's  hope. 

for  whom  our  Lord  did  so  much,  showed  great  love  and  great 
"humility ;  but  Jesus  did  not  speak  of  these,  but  of  his  faith. 
"I  have  not  found  so  great  faith,  no  not  in  Israel."  The 
reason  is  that  that  grace  is  the  root  of  all  the  others.  Hope 
may  soar  heavenward  ;  peace  may  fill  the  soul  with  a  holy  calm ; 
zeal  may  burn  with  divine  ardor ;  holiness  may  persevere  in 
the  face  of  every  discouragement ;  but  faith  must  give  life  to 
them  all.  Hence  the  prominence  that  is  given  to  it.  "  This  is 
the  victory  that  overcometh  the  world,  even  our  faith." 

Faith  enabled  Moses  to  look  upon  the  things  that  are  unseen 
but  eternal.  It  led  him  to  leave  Pharaoh's  proud  and  splendid 
palace,  because  sin  was  there  ;  and  fixed  his  gaze  upon  an  in- 
finitely more  glorious  home  in  heaven.  It  led  him  to  turn 
away  from  the  society  of  earth's  great  ones,  to  the  company  of 
those  who,  though  now  poor  and  despised,  were  yet  to  wear 
crowns  and  sit  upon  thrones  forever.  It  led  him  to  give  up 
seeming  good,  that  flatters  to  destroy,  for  real  good  that  is 
eternal,  and  that  far  exceeds  the  highest  expectations. 

The  faith  of  Moses  led  him  to  make  great  sacrifices  for  the 
right.  This  faith  always  does.  And  yet  those  sacrifices  are  not 
felt  to  be  so  great  by  those  who  make  them,  as  they  seem  to  the 
men  of  the  world.  The  reason  is,  that  instead  of  being  regarded 
as  privations,  they  bring  true  happiness.  Had  Moses  despised 
the  light  that  was  within  him,  he  v/ould  have  been  the  most  mis- 
erable of  men.  Sin  is  the  most  dreadful  evil  in  the  universe.  A 
man  may  be  very  poor  and  yet  be  happy.  He  may  be  covered 
with  the  most  loathsome  disease;  he  may  be  the  object  of  the 
bitterest  persecutions  ;  he  may  be  immured  in  dark  and  fetid 
dungeons ;  he  may  be  led  out  to  a  cruel  death,  around  which 
unspeakable  horrors  cluster  ;  and  yet  be  the  most  happy  of 
nien.  But  sin  lodged  and  indulged  in  the  heart,  will  kindle 
the  fires  of  hell  there.  External  pleasure  may  for  a  moment 
divert  attention  from  his  inward  agony;  but  that  long  lasting 
anguish  called  remorse^  will  go  where  the  soul  goes,  and  live 
where  the  soul  lives,  unless  forever  blotted  out  by  the  blood  of 
Christ.  The  sinner's  hell  begins  here,  and  when  he  dies  he 
goes  to  hell  as  the  only  place  he  is  fit  for  in  the  whole  universe. 


MOSES.       THE    MAN.  OF    GOD.  II5 

Hi  L  ,,iot  lost  because  God  \vished  it,  for  he  did  not.  He  is 
not  d/iven  to  perdition  by  any  fixed,  arbitrary  decree  of 
Jehovah,  but  he  goes  there  because  he  has  chosen  to  fill  his 
soul  with  the  elements  of  hell.  As  a  stone  cast  into  a  lake 
sinks  to  the  bottom  by  its  own  weight,  so  sinks  the  Christless 
siniicr,  after  death,  into  the  blackness  of  darkness. 

In  like  manner  when  sin  is  forgiven,  when  the  soul  walks 
under  the  beamings  of  God's  favor,  its  heaven  is  already 
begun.  It  has  a  little  heaven  to  go  to  heaven  in.  Hence  to 
Moses  the  reproach  of  Christ  was  greater  riches  than  all  the 
treasures  of  Egypt.  He  believed  what  God  said,  and  did  what 
God  bid  ;  and  cared  nothing  for  the  world's  reproaches.  He 
trod  the  earth  as  God's  freeman.  He  could  look  into  the 
eternal  future  without  a  cloud  on  his  brow.  He  had  Christ's 
love  in  his  heart,  and  to  the  dignity  of  the  true  man  that  adds 
the  glory  of  the  saint.  He  had  afterwards  many  rough  places 
to  tread,  but  they  were  smoothed  by  the  luster  of  a  coming 
glory.  His  happiness  was  not  like  an  earthly  flower,  that 
fades  almost  before  we  have  time  to  admire  it,  but  rather  like 
the  tree  of  life,  rejoicing  in  perpetual  bloom.  Men  would 
speak  as  if  Moses  had  made  great  sacrifices,  but  it  would  not 
seem  so  to  him.  As  the  stars  are  lost  to  our  vievv^  when  the 
greater  light  of  the  sun  travels  up  in  the  heavens ;  so  all 
Egypt's  wealth  and  glory  would  seem  worthless  beside  the 
riches  of  Christ.  That  splendid  palace  in  which  he  lived 
would  seem  a  paltry  thing  compared  with  the  house  not  made 
with  hands.      He  had  an  eye  to  the  recompense  of  reward. 

Reader,  was  not  this  a  glorious  beginning  in  life,  for  a  young 
man  that  had  just  come  of  age  }  Follow  his  example.  We  do 
not  ask  you  to  give  up  the  pleasures  of  sin,  without  offering 
you  any  equivalent.  Your  Savior's  loving  voice  comes  down 
from  the  heavens  in  waves  of  heavenly  music,  inviting;  you  to 
peace  and  rest  here ;  and  in  the  home  above  he  will  teach  you 
to  sing  in  noble  strains  the  song  of  Moses  and  the  Lam.b. 

In  looking  over  the  history  of  Moses  one  thing  strikes  us 
above  all  others,  and  that  is  the  familiarity  with  the  great  God. 
Amid  the  wild  and  grand  majesty  of  mountain  solitudes  he 


1X6  THE    world's    hope. 

talked  and  reasoned  with  Jehovah  as  a  man  with  his  friend. 
This  was  because  his  religion  had  a  right  beginning :  it  began 
in  faith,  which  gives  peace  with  God.  "  Acquaint  thyself  with 
God,  and  be  at  peace  with  him."  He  could  come  with  great 
boldness  before  his  Lord,  because  he  came  through  the  blood 
of  atonement.  When  a  soldier  is  put  upon  guard  the  officer 
gives  him  the  countersign,  and  he  is  told  to  let  no  one  pass 
who  cannot  give  that  word.  Now,  if  you  wanted  to  get  access 
to  the  commanding  general,  you  must  be  able  to  give  that 
word.  You  might  be  well  dressed,  and  friends  might  come 
forward  and  testify  as  to  the  respectability  of  your  character, 
but  that  would  avail  you  nothing.  You  cannot  pass  until  you 
have  given  the  right  word. 

So  is  it  with  the  sinner,  when  he  would  gain  access  to  God 
and  heaven.  One  may  come  and  tell  of  his  good  works,  but 
that  is  not  the  countersign.  Another  may  tell  of  his  prayers, 
and  of  his  religious  emotions,  but  that  is  not  the  countersign. 
Another  may  tell  of  how  much  he  has  given  for  building 
churches,  and  for  the  support  of  ministers  and  missions,  but 
neither  is  that  the  countersign.  What  then  is  it  ?  It  is  the 
precious  blood  of  Christ.  Hark  !  It  is  God's  own  voice  that 
says  it.  "The  blood  of  Jesus  Christ,  God's  Son,  cleanseth 
from  all  sin." 

If  you  could  collect  all  the  jewels  of  all  the  crowns  of  the 
world,  their  value  would  be  immense.  If  you  could  empty  the 
gold  and  silver  mines  of  the  world,  your  treasure  would  be  very- 
great  ;  but  the  whole  of  them  put  together  could  not  buy  five 
minutes  of  time.  Some  sinner,  dying  in  despair,  cried -out, 
"A  world  of  wealth  for  an  inch  of  time."  But,  alas  !  no  such 
bargain  could  be  made.  The  blood  of  Jesus,  however,  ob- 
tains for  us  eternal  life — an  eternity  of  glory.  It  pays  the 
mighty  debt  that  we  owed  to  the  justice  of  God.  It  bids  us 
go  free  from  the  curse  of  the  law. 

We  are  told  that  a  wealthy  gentleman,  but  a  short  time  ago, 
went  to  preach  in  a  town  in  England,  but  failed  to  obtain  a 
congregation  to  hear  him.  Determined,  however,  to  be  heard, 
he  next  day  caused  large  placards  to  be  posted  over  the  town, 


MOSES.       THE    MAN    OF    GOD.  II7 

Stating  that  whosoever  would  come  to  his  house  on  the  follow- 
ing Monday,  between  the  hours  of  ten  and  twelve,  would  have 
all  their  debts  paid.  This  notice  was  ridiculed  by  nearly  all 
who  read  it.  Some  supposed  it  a  hoax,  others  regarded  it  as 
the  statement  of  a  madman  ;  in  short,  all  united  in  disbeliev- 
ing the  statement.  At  length,  when  ten  o'clock  came,  they 
persuaded  a  foolish  old  man  to  go  and  try  the  truth  of  the  ad- 
vertisement. He  knocked  at  the  door,  was  requested  to  come 
in,  when  the  following  conversation  ensued  :  "  What  do  you 
want?"  said  the  gentleman.  "To  have  my  debts  paid,  ac- 
cording to  your  advertisement,"  was  the  reply.  "How  much 
do  you  owe.?"  Five  pounds,"  was  the  reply.  "Will  that 
cover  all  ?  "  said  the  gentleman.  "  Yes,  that  is  all  I  will  need," 
was  the  answer.  "  Well,  give  me  a  receipt,  and  here  is  a  check 
©n  the  bank  for  the  money."  The  old  man  was  astonished,  but 
thanked  his  benefactor  and  was  about  to  leave,  but  was  told 
that  he  could  not  leave  till  after  twelve  o'clock.  Soon  after, 
another  ventured  in,  led  by  idle  curiosity,  and  had  his  debts 
paid  in  the  same  way.  Another  followed,  and  he  likewise  had 
his  debts  all  paid.  As  soon  as  twelve  o'clock  had  arrived  they 
were  permitted  to  depart,  and  on  going  out  to  the  crowd  who 
had  assembled  around  the  house,  showed  the  checks  that  they 
had  obtained  for  the  money,  and  assured  them  that  there  was 
no  deception  about  the  gentleman's  proposal.  Upon  hearing 
that,  they  made  a  rush  upon  the  house,  hoping  to  have  all  their 
debts  paid.  But  they  were  told  that  it  was  now  after  twelve, 
that  his  promise  was  only  to  those  who  should  come  between 
ten  and  twelve  ;  that  had  they  come  then  they  should  all  have 
been  treated  alike,  but  that  now  it  was,  for  them,  too  late ! 

Alas !  thus  it  will  be  with  many  gospel  hearers.  God's 
proclamation  is,  "  Whosoever  will,  let  him  take  of  the  water  of 
life  freely !  "  And  again,  "  Whosoever  believeth  on  Him  shall 
have  eternal  life."  But  they  doubt,  they  hesitate,  they  delay, 
till  the  hour  of  their  probation  has  gone  past,  till  the  door  is 
shut  in  their  faces,  and  the  wail  of  their  bitter  anguish  is  heard 
outside  as  they  cry,  "  The  harvest  is  past,  the  summer  is 
ended,  and  I  am  not  saved !" 


Il8  THE    WORLDS    HOPE. 

Moses  is  now  a  child  of  God.  He  has  confident  trust  in 
every  word  that  his  Lord  says.  Young,  vigorous,  well  edu- 
cated, full  of  manly  strength,  his  soul  overflowing  with  love  to 
God  and  to  his  countrymen,  he  seems  to  us  ready  to  enter  upon 
his  life's  work.  That  work  was  to  be  the  greatest  ever  alotted 
to  any  mere  man.  His  countrymen  are  suffering  under  the 
grinding  oppression  of  a  relentless  tyrant.  In  the  soul  of  this 
young  servant  of  the  Lord,  there  burned  a  spirit  of  true  pa- 
triotism !  And  many  a  visit  of  compassion  he  paid  to  his 
brethren,  to  cheer  their  unhappy  condition  with  the  hope  of 
coming  deliverance.  The  case  was  urgent.  A  great  work 
was  to  be  done,  and  in  our  wisdom  we  would  expect  that,  with- 
out an  hour's  delay,  he  would  be  called  to  enter  upon  it. 

But  (jod's  ways  are  not  as  our  ways.  Moses  is  not  yet  fit  for 
his  work,  nor  are  the  people  fit  for  deliverance.  It  is  true  he 
has  been  educated  in  the  schools  of  Egypt,  and  has  obtained 
many  brilliant  accomplishments  in  the  palace  of  Pharaoh  ;  but 
he  must  pass  through  the  stern  discipline  of  God's  school  of 
providence,  before  he  can  be  fit  for  his  mighty  mission — his 
high  vocation.  Before  he  can  govern  he  must  first  learn  to 
obey.  Hence,  for  forty  long  years,  he  is  sent  into  the  solitude 
and  obscurity  of  humble  life ;  that  he  may  learn  to  gain  the 
victory  over  his  own  passions,  before  he  gains  a  victory  over 
Pharaoh ;  that  he  may  learn  entire  and  implicit  submission  of 
himself  to  God's  will,  before  he  carries  the  knowledge  of  that 
will  to  a  great  people.  We,  in  our  hurry  to  accomplish  great 
results,  would  have  dispensed  with  that  forty  years'  training, 
amid  the  mountain  solitudes  of  Midian ;  but  God  in  his  wis- 
dom sends  him  who  was  to  be  the  future  law-giver,  the  deliverer 
of  three  millions  of  people  from  slavery,  to  wander  as  a 
humble  shepherd  over  another  man's  flocks,  in  those  retired 
valleys.  There,  with  the  wild  mountains  all  around  him, 
whose  rocky  peaks  seemed  to  pierce  the  blue  vault  of  heaven, 
alone  with  God,  his  pride  and  self-will  were  purged  away,  and 
he  came  forth  from  the  process  mild  in  spirit,  patient  in  tem- 
per, reverent  and  humble  ;  and  one  of  the  meekest  of  men  in 
his  intercourse  with  the  world. 


MOSES.       THE    MAN    OF    GOD.  Hq 

As  these  years  rolled  on  and  found  the  servant  of  God  still 
in  his  humble  position,  it  might  seem  to  one  of  less  faith  than 
he,  as  if  God  had  forgotten  him ;  as  if  his  vast  powers  were  to 
he  lost  to  the  cause  of  truth  and  righteousness.  What  solemn 
and  stupendous  thoughts  must  have  passed  through  his  mind 
as  he  walked  among  the  sublime  works  of  God,  and  thought  of 
all  his  dealings  with  his  people  in  the  ages  past,  and  of  the 
promises  left  them  of  future  good.  No  doubt  his  fervent 
prayers  were  often  heard  echoing  amid  the  mountain  caverns 
by  day  and  by  night.  No  doubt  his  faith  pleaded  the  promises 
given  to  his  fathers,  and  refused  to  let  God  go  till  they  were 
gloriously  fulfilled. 

Nor  were  his  faith  and  prayers  in  vain.  They  never  are. 
God  has  not  forgotten  him,  nor  his  oppressed  people.  He  was 
but  waiting  for  the  needful  preparation  in  them  both,  to  bless 
and  honor  them  as  no  people  were  ever  blessed  and  honored 
before.  True,  he  had  caused  them  to  pass  through  severe 
trials,  bitter  afflictions ;  but  it  is  the  glory  of  the  God  of  grace 
to  bring  forth  the  sweet  out  of  the  bitter,  light  out  of  darkness, 
and  heavenly  order  out  of  earthly  confusion.  The  circum- 
stances which  led  Moses  to  flee  from  Egypt  at  the  verv  time 
when  he  seemed  ready  to  begin  his  work,  and  which  detained 
him  so  long  in  Midian,  were  all  appointed  by  infinite  wisdom. 
Nor  was  the  time  spent  there  at  all  lost.  It  was  in  that  soli- 
tude that  he  is  supposed  to  have  written,  under  divine  in- 
spiration, the  book  of  Genesis,  and  also  the  book  of  Job. 
Here,  too,  God  gave  him  a  wife  and  children  to  cheer  the 
hours  of  his  solitude  with  the  sweet  sympathies  of  domestic 
endearment. 

But  the  time  for  action  has  at  last  come.  God's  set  time  to 
favor  Zion  has  at  last  arrived.  Pharaoh  has  died  and  gone  to 
his  solemn  account ;  but  deliverance  does  not  come  in  that 
way.  Another  king  succeeds  him  who,  if  possible,  hates  the 
Israelites  with  a  deeper  hatred,  and  shows  it  in  acts  still  more 
cruel.  Deliverance  comes  in  a  way  that  casts  contempt  on 
human  pride  and  glory.  It  docs  not  come  in  the  shape  of  vast 
armies  with  fluttering  banners  and  glittering  armor,  led  on  by 


I20  THE    WORLDS    HOPE. 

"brave  and  skillful  generals ;  nor  does  it  come  by  the  oppressed 
people  themselves  rising  in  their  might,  resolved  to  have  liberty 
or  death,  bursting  their  ignoble  chains  and  trampling  their  op- 
pressors under  their  feet.  No,  this  is  the  way  that  human 
sagacity  and  policy  would  have  arranged  the  matter.  But 
vastly  different  was  God's  plan.  He  sends  the  deliverer  forth 
in  the  form  of  a  humble  shepherd,  with  simply  a  rod  in  his 
hand ;  but  that  rod  is  the  emblem  of  God's  omnipotence. 

But  before  Moses  goes  forth  he  receives  his  high  commission 
— his  ordination  to  his  great  work — in  a  way  so  awfully  solemn 
as  to  send  a  trembling  through  his  whole  being.  One  morning 
he  began  his  daily  duties  as  usual.  There  was  nothing  to  in- 
dicate that  the  day  would  be  different  from  any  other,  or  that 
anything  would  occur  to  break  the  monotony  of  his  every  day 
life.  So  true  is  it  that  we  know  not  what  a  day  may  bring 
forth.  That  v/as  to  be  a  marked  day  in  his  history,  and  in  the 
history  of  the  world.  A  day  that  was  to  break  up  his  solitude 
and  bring  him  forth  into  a  prominence  and  an  activity  to 
which  few  men  are  called ;  and  roll  upon  him  a  responsibility 
under  which  an  angel  might  stagger. 

While  engaged  in  his  accustomed  duties,  a  most  wonderful 
sight  caught  his  eye.  It  was  that  of  a  bush  on  fire,  trunk, 
branches  and  leaves,  all  burning  with  the  greatest  fury,  and 
yet  not  consumed.  He  draws  near  to  examine  this  wonderful 
phenomenon,  when  his  whole  soul  is  thrilled  by  a  voice  ad- 
dressing him  from  out  of  the  flame.  It  is  the  voice  of  God 
himself.  It  is  he  who,  under  the  appellation  of  Angel  of  the 
Covenant,  had  appeared  to  his  fathers.  The  same  that  spoke 
with  Abraham,  wrestled  with  Jacob,  and  showed  himself  in 
distinct  vision  to  the  prophets.  It  was  the  same  Being  who, 
in  the  fullness  of  time,  took  upon  him  our  nature,  and  died 
upon  the  cross  for  us.  The  first  feeling  of  the  man  of  God 
was  that  of  terror.  This  is  natural  to  our  fallen  humanity 
when  we  feel  ourselves  in  the  presence  of  Jehovah,  and  arises 
from  the  fact  that  we  are  sinners.  We  know  that  we  have 
merited  his  displeasure,  and  when  we  feel  that  he  is  near  us  we 
are  ready  to  conclude  that  it  must  be  to  punish.     Ah  !  if  the 


MOSES.       THE    MAN    OF    GOD.  121 

felt  presence  of  God  made  even  a  man  like  Moses  tremble,  how 
awful  must  that  presence  be  to  his  enemies  in  the  great  day  of 
his  wrath. 

Moses  is  warned  against  approaching  his  great  Creator  with 
undue  familiarity.  We  are  permitted  to  come  boldly  into  his 
presence,  through  the  blood  of  Jesus,  but  not  with  the  bold- 
ness of  presumption,  nor  that  of  irreverence.  We  have 
heard  some  address  God  as  they  would  not  address  their 
equals,  nay,  even  their  inferiors.  We  have  seen  some  behave 
themselves  in  the  house  of  God,  as  they  would  not  dare  to  do 
in  the  house  of  a  passing  acquaintance.  Such  should  remem- 
ber that  God's  eye  is  upon  them,  and  that  he  will  not  be 
mocked.  He  is  greatly  to  be  feared  in  the  assembly  of  his 
people ;  and  wherever  his  presence  is  clearly  realized  the  soul 
in  profoundest  awe  be  made  to  cry  out,  "  How  dreadful  is  this 
place !" 

We  have  seen  that  the  first  feeling  of  the  leader  of  Israel 
was  that  of  fear,  but  that  soon  gave  place  to  confidence  and 
trust.  His  faith  gave  him  the  spirit  of  adoption ;  and  soon 
we  find  him  talking  and  even  reasoning  with  the  God  of  the 
whole  earth.  He  still  invites  us  to  come  near  through  the 
blood  of  atonement,  saying,  **Come  and  let  us  reason  to- 
gether." He  is  the  most  reasonable  being  in  the  whole 
universe.  If  we  have  a  good  reason  to  urge  he  will  give  it  full 
weight ;  and  we  will  not  be  afraid  that  any  wrong  or  injustice 
will  be  done  us. 

Moses  displayed  great  modesty  and  self-diffidence  when 
told  of  the  work  to  which  he  was  called.  No  doubt  this  was 
a  very  lovely  and  proper  trait  of  character.  "  Let  no  man 
think  more  highly  of  himself  than  he  ought  to  think.''  It  was 
well  enough  that  he  should  tell  the  Lord  of  his  unworthiness, 
of  his  feeling  of  unfitness  for  such  an  high  position,  and  ask  for 
divine  aid.  But  when  the  Lord  said,  "  Certainly  I  will  be  with 
thee,"  and  condescended  to  give  him  a  token  by  which  he  might 
know  that  this  was  the  case  ;  then  any  more  shrinking  back 
and  complaining  of  his  unfitness,  was  the  result  of  unbelief 
not  of  faith. 


122  THE    WORLDS    HOPE. 

So  is  it  with  many  now  under  the  brighter  gospel  dispensa- 
tion. Jesus  has  died  in  their  stead,  and  made  a  perfect  satis- 
faction to  the  broken  law  for  all  their  guilt.  By  faith  in  Him 
we  are  told  that  not  only  are  they  justified  from  all  things,  but 
that  they  are  complete  in  Him;  that  in  him  they  have  all 
things  pertaining  to  life  and  godliness,  even  eternal  life.  And 
yet,  they  keep  dwelling  upon  their  own  sinfulness  and  their 
unworthiness,  till  all  the  comfort  which  God  intends  them  to 
receive  from  the  good  news  is  destroyed.  When  urged  to  join 
the  church,  they  tell  us  that  they  are  not  worthy.  When 
thinking  of  coming  to  the  Lord's  Supper,  they  shrink  back  be- 
cause they  are  not  worthy.  Just  as  if  Christ  had  done  nothing, 
and  as  if  the  whole  work  of  their  salvation  was  left  to  depend 
upon  their  own  worthiness.  Must  it  not  be  very  dishonoring  to 
the  Savior  to  have  his  work  thus  treated  as  if  it  were  nothing; 
and  as  if  the  Father  were  not  well  pleased  with  it,  but  had  en- 
tirely disowned  it  ?  Whenever  you  hear  people  speak  in  this 
way,  you  may  know  that  they  have  but  a  very  imperfect 
knowledge  of  the  gospel  of  our  salvation.  If  we  had  been 
worthy  there  would  have  been  no  need  at  all  of  the  blessed 
Jesus  leaving  the  glory  of  heaven.  There  would  have  been  no 
need  of  the  bloody  and  tragic  scenes  of  Gethsemane  and  Cal- 
vary. To  make  our  salvation,  in  whole  or  in  part,  or  the  per- 
formance of  any  duty,  to  depend  upon  our  feeling  worthy,  is 
to  dignify  unbelief  with  the  name  of  humility. 

This  great  sight  which  Moses  beheld,  the  bush  burning  and 
yet  not  consumed,  has  been  regarded  by  judicious  divines  as  a 
striking  emblem  of  God's  suffering  church.  It  may  be  so  re- 
garded from  its  lowly  appearance.  It  was  not  in  some  lofty 
cedar,  nor  yet  in  the  sturdy  and  majestic  oak,  that  God  ap- 
peared, but  on  a  thorny  bush.  So  the  true  church  of  God  has 
ever  been  a  lowly  and  contemptible  object  in  the  eyes  of  the 
wicked  world.  When  she  has  appeared  in  pomp,  and  wealth, 
and  fashion,  and  made  herself  popular  with  the  world,  it  has 
been  when  she  had  become  corrupted  and  degraded,  an  object 
over  which  angels  might  weep.  In  the  days  of  Moses  the 
church  was  poor  and  persecuted  in  Egypt.     During  our  Lord's 


i 


MOSES.       THE    MAN    OF    GOD.  I23 

days  on  earth  the  church  was  composed  chiefly  of  poor  fisher- 
men, tax-gatherers,  publicans,  and  the  common  people  who 
heard  the  Great  Teacher  gladly.  In  the  days  of  the  Apostles 
not  many  great,  or  rich,  or  noble,  were  called.  The  same  has 
been  true  all,  the  way  down  through  the  ages  to  the  present 
day.  Those  churches  now  that  aim  at  the  greatest  popularity 
have  the  least,  A  pure  church  in  the  world  must  be  a  despised 
and  persecuted  one;  for  it  is  still  true,  that  if  any  man  will 
live  Godly  in  Christ  Jesus  he  will  suffer  persecution.  Christ 
did  not  intend  that  the  power  of  his  religion  should  consist 
in  outward  grandeur,  such  as  attracts  the  common  eye ;  hence 
he  instituted  no  pompous  ceremonies,  no  gorgeous  displays,  but 
his  worship  was  to  be  the  modest  and  unpretending  out-com- 
ings of  a  renewed  heart 

The  bush  burning  with  fire  is  a  fit  emblem  of  the  suffering 
condition  of  the  church  in  all  ages.  The  people  of  God  have 
been  an  afflicted  people  Their  pathway  has  been  hard  and 
rough,  marked  with  their  tears,  and  often  with  their  blood. 
But  this  has  been  turned  to  our  spiritual  profit ;  for  though  the 
fire  was  severe  it  was  also  purifying.  Their  trials  preserved 
them  from  the  dross  of  the  world,  made  them  a  separate  and 
peculiar  people,  the  chaff  only  was  consumed,  not  the  wheat. 
The  dispensation  under  which  we  live  is  that  of  the  cross, 
hence  as  one  of  suffering.  The  church  is  to  follow  her  great 
Head  ,  and  He  was  made  perfect  through  suffering.  His  dy- 
ing legacy  to  his  people,  was  peace,  His  own  peace,  but  he 
accompanied  it  with  the  assurance  that  in  the  world  they 
should  have  tribulation. 

But  the  burning  bush  also  told  of  the  preservation  of  the 
church,  the  bush  was  not  consumed.  The  church  has  always 
prospered  and  increased  in  the  fire ;  so  that  it  became  a  pro- 
verb, that  ''  The  blood  of  the  martyrs  was  the  seed  of  the 
churchj'  She  has  flashed  out  her  brightest  glories  upon  the 
world  through  the  flames  of  martyrdom.  The  reason  is,  that 
she  is  founded  upon  the  rock  of  God's  immutability.  She  does 
not  draw  her  life  and  strength  from  the  genius,  the  fortitude, 
or  the  self-sacrifice  of  her  friends ;  no,  it  is  up  at  the  Divine 


124  THE    WORLDS    HOPE. 

Throne  that  she  gets  her  strength  for  every  trial.  She  takes 
her  stand  upon  her  Lord's  unchangeableness  which  makes  her 
vital  with  immortality.  We  see  the  church  in  every  condition 
of  trouble  and  trial,  in  looking  over  the  history  of  the  past  we 
see  her  in  the  ark  moving  majestically  through  a  world  of  waters, 
with  Jehovah  for  her  pilot ;  and  resting  securely  at  last  on 
Mount  Ararat.  We  see  her  in  those  weeping  hosts  by  the 
rivers  of  Babylon,  whose  harps,  indeed,  are  silent  only  that  they 
may  listen  to  the  cheering  voice  of  Israel's  God.  In  the  pil- 
lar of  cloud  and  in  the  pillr.r  of  light  we  see  her  sheltered  by 
God's  own  hand  from  the  malignant  hate  of  her  enemies.  In 
this  protection  Daniel  rejoiced  in  the  lion's  den;  and  the  three 
Hebrews  prove  its  sufficiency  in  the  fiery  furnace.  And  were 
all  the  uncounted  multitudes  of  Christ's  confessors  to  speak 
together  at  this  hour,  their  voices  would  roll  forth  like  the 
sound  of  many  waters,  saying,  "  The  gates  of  hell  shall  not 
prevail  against  us." 

Another  respect  in  which  the  burning  bush  was  an  emblem 
of  the  church  was,  God's  presence  in  its  midst.  It  is  of  the 
church  that  it  is  said,  "  God  is  in  the  midst  of  her,  she  shall 
not  be  moved."  The  dying  Wesley  said,  "The  best  of  all  is, 
God  is  with  us."  No  wonder  that  the  people  of  the  Lord  have 
been  happy  in  dungeons,  rejoiced  on  scaff"olds,  and  shouted  out 
their  dying  triumphs  from  the  midst  of  the  flames  that  con- 
sumed them.  They  had  the  living  God  for  their  companion. 
He  still  walks  in  the  midst  of  the  golden  candle-sticks  ;  and 
blesses  with  his  presence  the  two  or  three  assembled  in  his 
name.  Thus  Divine  comfort  is  imparted  to  the  sorrowful,  the 
weak  renew  their  strength,  the  timid  are  made  bold,  and  the 
whole  army  of  the  Lord,  animated  by  the  presence  of  the  Cap- 
tain of  their  salvation,  go  forth  with  invincible  might,  conquer- 
ing and  to  conquer.  Yes,  if  we  have  the  presence  and  good 
will  of  Him  who  dwelt  in  the  bush,  we  need  fear  no  evil ;  for 
"  Blessed  are  the  people  w^hose  God  is  the  Lord." 

On  the  other  hand,  what  calamity  so  great  as  to  be  forsaken 
of  God;  infinitely  better  to  lose  friends,  health,  property,  and 
life  itself,  than  to  be  forsaken   of  H'm.     As  Pharaoh  and  his 


MOSES.       THE    MAN    OF    GOD,  72!j 

host  went  down  like  lead  in  the  mighty  waters,  as  the  Canaan- 
itish  kings  were  destroyed  without  mercy;  as  Amalek  was 
swept  out  of  existence  ;  as  Belshazzar  perished  with  his  blas- 
phemies on  his  lips ;  as  Herod  was  eaten  up  of  worms ;  so  shall 
perish  the  Godforsaken  every-where.  As  heaps  of  chaff  before 
the  whirlwind,  as  stubble  before  the  devouring  flame,  so  shall 
all  those  be  who  set  themselves  against  the  Lord  and  his 
anointed. 

"  Before  the  throne  of  God  above 
I  have  a  strong,  a  perfect  plea ; 
A  great  High  Priest,  whose  name  is  Love, 
"Who  ever  lives  and  pleads  for  me. 

*'  My  name  is  graven  on  His  hands, 
My  name  is  written  on  His  heart  ; 
I  know  that,  while  in  heaven  He  stands, 
No  tongue  can  bid  me  thence  depart. 

"  When  Satan  tempts  me  to  despair, 

And  tells  me  of  the  guilt  within, 

Upward  I  look,  and  see  Him  there 

Who  made  an  end  of  all  my  sin. 

"  Because  the  sinless  Savior  died, . 
My  sinful  soul  is  counted  free  ; 
For  God,  the  Just,  is  satisfied 
To  look  on  Him  and  pardon  me. 

"  Behold  Him  there  !   the  bleeding  Lamb  ! 
My  perfect,  spotless  Righteousness, 
The  great  unchangeable  '  I  am,' 
The  King  of  glory  and  of  grace. 

*'  One  with  Himself,  I  cannot  die  ; 

My  soul  is  purchased  by  His  blood; 
My  life  is  hid  with  Christ  on  high, 
With  Christ  my  Savic  r  and  my  God." 


126  THE    world's    HOPE. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

MOSES.    THE  MAN  OF  GOD,    [Continued.] 

It  is  not  my  intention,  nor  the  design  of  this  book,  to  write 
the  full  history  of  Moses ;  but  only  to  refer  to  those  events 
that  particularly  brought  out  and  displayed  his  great  faith  in 
God.  We  therefore  pass  by  his  many  interviews  with  Pharaoh 
and  the  wonderful  miracles  by  which  he  proved  the  divinity  of 
his  mission.  The  proud  tyrant  had  cried,  "  Who  is  the  Lord, 
that  I  should  obey  him.?"  and  had  got  such  an  answer  to  that 
question  as  God  alone  can  give.  The  morning  has  at  last 
dawned  that  is  to  witness  the  emancipation  of  the  chosen  peo- 
ple from  bondage.  With  his  vast  charge  and  weighty  respon- 
sibility upon  his  mind,  Moses  is  calm  and  serene.  He  knows 
that  God  is  with  him.  We  see  that  vast  host  of  men,  women 
and  children,  go  forth  winding  by  the  skirts  of  the  great  wil- 
derness till  they  come  to  a  place  called  Pihahiroth,  on  the 
shore  of  the  Red  Sea.  As  far  as  human  eye  could  see  it  was 
the  most  dangerous  situation  that  could  be  chosen  for  so  vast 
an  army.  On  each  side  of  them  towered  up  gloomy  and  im- 
passable mountains ;  in  front  of  them  rolled  the  dark  waves  of 
the  sea;  while  behind  them  came  thundering  on  the  old  tyrant 
with  his  men  of  war,  his  horses  and  chariots. 

We  can  scarcely  conceive  of  a  more  trying  situation  than 
that  in  which  Moses  is  now  placed ;  for  added  to  the  outward 
dangers  we  have  spoken  of,  a  murmuring  and  seditious  spirit 
had  sprung  up  among  the  people.  They  ungratefully  forgot  all 
that  had  been  done  for  them,  and  said,  "  Because  there  were 
no  graves  in  Egypt,  hast  thou  taken  us  away  to  die  in  the  wil- 
derness ?"  One  comfort  he  had,  and  that  is,  that  it  was  God 
himself  who,  by  the  pillar  of  cloud  by  day  and  the  pillar  of  fire 
by  night,  had  lead  them  into  that  situation.     We  may  come 


MOSES,       THE    MAN    OF    GOD.  I27 

into  difficulty  while  walking  in  the  path  of  duty  and  guided 
by  the  providence  of  God ;  but  in  that  case  we  need  fear  no 
evil.  A  storm  may  arise  and  threaten  us  with  disaster,  as  in 
the  case  of  the  Disciples ;  but  the  Lord  will  be  seen  coming 
through  the  storm,  bringing  aid  and  comfort,  and  ultimate 
deliverance. 

How  nobly  the  faith  of  the  man  of  God  stood  the  test  on 
this  occasion  !  With  a  calm  courage,  and  an  unwavering  in- 
trepidity, he  meets  the  hour  of  trial.  Above  the  murmuring 
of  the  people,  above  the  moaning  and  surging  of  the  waves  of 
the  sea,  his  voice  rings  out  the  inspiring  words,  "  Fear  ye  not ; 
stand  still,  and  see  the  salvation  of  the  Lord,  which  he  will 
show  you  to-day  ;  for  the  Egyptians  whom  ye  have  seen  to-day, 
ye  shall  see  them  again  no  more  forever." 

In  this  emergency  the  prophet  betook  himself  to  prayer.  We 
are  not  told  that  it  was  public  prayer,  that  is,  that  he  gathered 
the  people  together.  Neither  are  we  told  that  he  retired  by 
himself  for  secret  prayer.  His  public  duties  did  not  allow  him 
time  for  that ;  and  yet  that  he  was  praying  we  learn  from  the 
words  of  the  Lord.  "  Why  criest  thou  unto  me  V  It  was  what 
we,  call  ejaculatory  prayer ;  that  is,  while  he  was  busy  outwardly 
going  among  the  people,  he  was,  in  his  heart,  busy  with  God. 
This  is  a  kind  of  prayer  that  we  can  put  forth  anywhere.  In 
the  crowded  railroad  car,  in  the  steamboat,  in  the  bustle  of  the 
city  streets,  in  the  work-shop,  or  in  the  counting-room,  amid 
the  talk  of  our  fellow-men,  we  can  be  talking  with  Jehovah. 

But  while  there  is  a  time  for  prayer,  there  is  also  a  time  for 
action,  and  that  time  had  now  come.  The  Lord  said,  "  Speak 
to  the  children  of  Israel  that  they  go  forward."  Here  was 
another  trial  of  faith.  To  go  forward  was  seemingly  to  go  into 
the  sea.  To  obey  seemed  like  going  to  destruction.  But  the 
man  of  God  does  not  hesitate  for  a  moment.  Marshaling  the 
people  into  proper  order,  we  see  him  leading  them  down  the 
sloping  beach  till  the  waves  kiss  his  feet.  There  is  a  pause— 
a  moment  of  suspense  among  the  vast  throng.  The  man  of 
God  lifts  the  rod,  and  the  waters  rolling  back,  stand  like  a 
protecting  wall  on  either  side ;  and  on,  through  the  spacious 


128  THE    V/ORLD's    HOPE. 

pathway  which  Divine  power  had  made  for  them,  the  heaven- 
protected- people  take  their  triumphant  way.  Soon  they  stand 
in  safety  on  the  opposite  shore,  sending  up  their  glad  song  of 
deliverance  to  the  God  of  their  salvation.  How  poetical  and 
grand  is  the  Psalmist's  description  of  this  event.  "  The  waters 
saw  thee,  O  God,  the  waters  saw  thee ;  they  were  afraid ;  the 
depths  also  were  troubled." 

When  wicked  men  are  doomed  to  destruction,  they  are  left 
to  be  controlled  by  a  dreadful  infatuation.  This  was  the  case 
with  Pharaoh  and  his  generals.  Mad  with  rage  and  blood- 
thirsty hate,  they  came  rushing  on,  and  plunged  into  the  open- 
ing of  the  waters.  Wild  confusion,  a  fearful  panic,  takes  hold 
of  them.  They  would  gladly  retreat,  but  it  is  too  late.  With  a 
crash,  as  if  the  foundations  of  the  earth  were  giving  away,  the 
piled  up  waters  come  together  and  bury  the  proud  hosts  under 
those  waves  that   roll  and  curl   as  if  nothing  had  happened. 

We  spoke  of  Moses  as  being  a  great  poet.  If  any  one  doubts 
this,  let  him  read  the  song  of  deliverance  which  he  prepared 
on  this  occasion.  We  find  it  in  the  fifteenth  chapter  of  Exo- 
dus, and  it  rises  and  swells  into  such  inspiring  strains,  that  we 
seem  to  be  listening  to  the  shouts  of  a  victorious  host,  mingled 
with  the  crash  of  martial  music,  and  the  dashing  of  the  waves 
of  the  sea.  We  seem  to  see  the  mighty  arm  of  God  lifting  up 
that  proud  army  and  casting  it  into  the  depths  of  the  sea,  as 
easy  as  the  man  of  might  could  plunge  a  stone  there.  How 
sublime  when  he  speaks  of  the  breath  of  the  Lord  as  piling 
up  the  waters ;  and  then  as  drying  up  the  channels,  that  the  re- 
deemed of  theLord  might  go  through.  With  what  graphic  power 
does  he  describe  the  rage,  the  fury,  and  the  haughty  boasting 
of  the  tyrant,  "  I  will  pursue,  I  will  overtake,  I  will  divide  the 
spoil ;  my  lust  shall  be  satisfied  upon  them ;  I  will  draw  my 
sword,  my  hand  shall  destroy  them."  His  words  thrill  us  like 
the  blast  of  a  trumpet,  when  he  says,  "  Thou  didst  blow  with 
thy  wind,  the  sea  covered  them  ;  they  sank  as  lead  in  the  mighty 
waters."  No  person  of  taste  can  read  this  sublime  composi- 
tion, whatever  may  be  his  views  on  the  subject  of  the  divine 
inspiration  of  the  Bible  without  pleasure. 


MOSES.       THE    MAN   OF    GOD. 


129 


After  the  many  proofs  of  the  power  and  goodness  of  God 
which  this  people  had  experienced,  we  might  suppose  that  they 
would  never  doubt  or  murmur  again.  But  that  man  knows 
but  little  of  his  own  heart,  and  little  of  human  nature  in  gen- 
eral, who  would  indulge  such  a  hope.  Soon  as  their  provisions 
became  exhausted  and  starvation  threatened  them  with  its 
gaunt  visage,  they  again  began  to  pour  out  their  vile  and  un- 
grateful reproaches  against  their  leader.  "Would  to  God  that 
we  had  died  by  the  hand  of  the  Lord  in  the  land  of  Egypt, 
when  we  sat  by  the  flesh  pots,  and  when  we  did  eat  bread  to 
the  full ;  for  ye  have  brought  us  forth  into  this  wilderness,  to 
kill  this  whole  assembly  with  hunger." 

Alas !  may  we  not  see  in  this  a  dark  picture  of  our  own 
hearts !  All  that  Divine  love  has  done  for  us  in  the  past  is 
forgotten,  the  very  first  trial  into  which  we  are  brought.  As  if 
the  God  of  the  past  was  not  the  God  of  the  present  also,  we 
send  out  our  atheistic  cry,  as  if  we  felt  ourselves  in  a  father- 
less world.  Instead  of  sending  thunder-bolts  to  destroy  this 
people,  the  Holy  One  of  Israel,  in  great  mercy,  rains  down 
upon  them  bread  from  heaven.  "When  they  looked  out  from 
their  tents  one  morning  they  were  struck  with  wonder  to  see 
something  lying  upon  the  ground  like  hoar  frost,  white  and 
beautiful,  and  about  the  size  of  a  coriander  seed.  It  lay  all 
around  the  camp,  and  on  tasting  it,  was  found  to  be  sweet  as 
honey.  They  cried  out,  ''Man-hue,''  which  signifies,  "What  is 
this?" 

This  manna  our  Lord  tells  us  was  an  emblem  of  himself; 
for  he  says,  "  I  am  the  bread  of  life  that  cometh  down  from 
heaven."  The  manna  was  not  a  ^^  ork  or  composition  of  man 
at  all.  No  human  agent  could  proudly  say,  "  this  is  my  inven- 
tion ;  I  have  brought  deliverance  to  this  people."  No,  it  came 
direct  from  heaven.  So  it  is  with  the  plan  of  salvation  ;  it  is 
purely  of  Divine  origin.  All  the  sages  of  the  world  would 
never  have  thought  of  it ;  all  the  c.ngels  in  heaven  could  never 
have  devised  it.  The  appearance  of  this  manna  was  not  very 
attractive,  it  was  small  and  insignificant.  So  when  our  Lord 
came  it  was  like  "a  root  out  of  a  dry  ground."     He  made 


130  THE    WORLD  S    HOPE. 

himself  of  no  reputation  ;  He  came  in  the  form  of  a  servant, 
meek  and  lowly  in  spirit. 

This  manna  was  given  to  the  people  freely.  This  murmur- 
ing people  had  no  claims ;  no  demand  upon  God  for  it.  It 
was  not  to  be  bought ;  but  was  the  gift  of  free  grace.  All  were 
at  liberty  to  gather  it  who  complied  with  the  terms.  So  is  it 
with  salvation.  The  gift  of  God  is  eternal  life  through  Jesus 
Christ.  We  can  put  in  no  claim  but  that  of  our  entirely  undone 
condition. 

The  manna  was  given  in  rich  abundance.  There  was  no 
need  of  any  one  perishing  of  hunger;  if  he  did  the  fault  was 
entirely  his  own.  So  the  gospel  feast  is  abundant ;  there  is 
enough  for  the  whole  family  of  Adam.  It  is  not  like  our 
heavenly  Father  to  give  a  general  call  to  the  whole  world, 
while  he  only  makes  provision  for  a  portion  of  it.  No,  Christ 
"  tasted  death  for  every  man." 

This  bread  from  heaven  never  failed  the  people  of  Israel,  as 
long  as  they  remained  in  the  wilderness.  And  so  long  as  the 
believer  remains  in  the  wilderness  of  the  world,  Christ  will 
never  fail  him.  We  shall  still  have  his  arm  to  lean  upon. 
Still  have  his  presence  to  comfort  us,  and  even  through  the  dark 
and  gloomy  valley  of  death,  his  unfailing  support  shall  not  be 
wanting. 

As  the  manna  was  to  be  gathered  daily,  so  we  are  to  live 
daily  on  Christ.  The  experience  of  last  week  or  of  last  year, 
will  not  suffice  for  to-day.  Let  this  thought  rebuke  those 
whose  hope  is  centered  upon  an  experience  that  lies  in  the  dead 
past.  Ask  such  persons  if  they  are  rejoicing  in  a  present 
knowledge  of  sin  forgiven,  in  a  present  acceptance  with  God 
through  the  blood  of  atonement,  and  you  are  referred  to  joys 
felt  and  hopes  cherished  many  years  ago.  Ah  !  my  friend,  this 
will  not  do.  It  is  Christ  in  you  now  the  hope  of  glory.  More 
needful  than  your  daily  bread  is  a  daily  faith  in  Jesus. 

This  manna  was  to  be  gathered  early  in  the  morning.  So  is 
it  highly  desirable  that  all  should  come  to  Christ  in  the  morn- 
ing of  life.  "  They  that  seek  me  early  shall  find  me."  The 
salvation  of  the  soul  neglected  till  old  age  is  almost  a  certain 


MOSES.       THE    MAN    OF    GOD. 


131 


seal  of  damnation.  The  heart  gets  hardened,  the  habits  of 
sin  become  strong  as  a  chain  of  destiny  to  bind  hoary  sinners, 
and  trembling  under  the  palsy  of  a  spiritual  death  the  soul 
sinks  into  the  dark  prison-house  of  despair.  But  oh,  how 
blessed  the  sou  Ithat  has  early  chosen  Christ !  Its  pathway  is 
brighter  and  brighter  to  the  perfect  day ;  that  day  of  eternal 
glory,  that  shall  be  followed  by  no  evening  gloom.  The  glow 
of  young  affection,  the  sweet  simplicity  of  early  confidence, 
the  warmth  and  fervor  of  youthful  love,  and  the  full  vigor  and 
strength  of  the  days  of  health,  all  given  to  Jesus,  is  a  sight 
over  which  angels  rejoice,  and  in  which  the  Lord  of  angels 
sees  of  the  travel  of  his  soul  and  is  satisfied. 

At  last  the  children  of  Israel  have  reached  Rephidim ;  and 
here  a  new  trial  of  the  faith  of  Moses  awaits  him.  There  is 
no  water  for  the  vast  multitudes,  and  hence  death  stares  them 
in  the  face.  Cast  your  eyes  over  that  vast  arid  plain,  and 
mark  the  scene  of  misery  that  meets  your  sight.  All  vegeta- 
tion withers  and  dies  under  the  burning  heat.  Children  with 
parched  throats  cry  to  their  mothers  for  water,  but  there  is 
none  to  give  them.  Not  a  drop  of  the  cooling  beverage  can 
be  found  to  moisten  even  the  lips  of  the  dying ;  and  strong 
men  go  about  with  bloodshot  eyes,  and  a  feeling  as  if  an  inter- 
nal fire  was  consuming  them.  The  cry  of  distress  from  the 
infuriated  animals  mingles  with  the  cry  of  the  camp;  and  the 
concentrated  wrath  of  the  perishing  people  falls  upon  the  head 
of  Moses.  Fierce  and  terrible  must  have  been  their  invec- 
tives, for  he  camplains  to  the  Lord,  saying,  "What  shall  I  do 
unto  this  people  ?  they  be  almost  ready  to  stone  me."  The 
Lord  commands  him  to  ascend  the  mountain,  and  strike  with 
his  rod  a  certain  rock  from  which  a  stream  of  water  should 
flow.  How  unlikely  was  this  to  the  eye  of  sense.  Water  from 
a  rock,  and  that  by  merely  striking  it  with  a  rod,  would  seem  a 
very  unlikely  thing.  If  a  strong  company  of  sappers  and 
miners  had  been  sent  forth  with  spades  and  crowbars,  the 
people  might  have  said,  "  Ah !  they  will  soon  find  the  water 
for  us."  But  the  work  was  done  in  such  a  way  as  to  show  that 
God's  was  all  the  glory. 


132 


THE    WORLD  S    HOPE. 


And  now  we  see  Moses  in  the  sight  of  all  the  people,  ap- 
proach that  old  gray  rock,  on  whose  wrinkled  brow  the  angry 
tempests  of  a  thousand  years  had  beat  in  vain.  All  is  hushed 
expectation  in  the  camp.  Life  and  death  depend  upon  the 
issue  of  the  trial  that  is  to  be  made.  The  face  of  the' man  of 
God  is  calm  and  untroubled.  With  him  is  no  doubt — no  fear. 
For  God  to  promise,  is  for  him  to  believe.  He  lifts  the  rod — 
once,  twice,  three  times  he  strikes  the  rock ;  and  forth  leaps 
the  gushing  waters,  flashing  in  the  rays  of  the  sun.  Down 
rolls  the  life-giving  stream,  and  forth  come  the  rejoicing 
thousands  to  drink  freely.  Mothers  are  seen  running  with  all 
the  energies  of  love  to  carry  water  to  their  children,  while 
others  hasten  to  supply  the  sick  and  the  dying.  How  foolish 
would  the  man  be  who,  almost  dying  of  thirst,  would  refuse  to 
drink  until  he  first  ascertained  that  he  had  been  ordained, 
from  all  eternity,  to  drink  of  those  Avaters.  There,  with 
parched  mouth  and  bloodshot  eyes,  he  sits  down  by  the  rush- 
ing stream,  and  says,  "  If  I  am  ordained  to  drink  of  these 
waters,  I  will  drink  of  them,  but  if  not,  it  is  no  use  for  me  to 
try."  You  would  say  to  such  a  man,  "Why,  my  friend,  these 
waters  were  intended  for  all  who  thirst ;  you  are  among  the 
number  who  do  so,  therefore  at  once  drink  and  live. 

But  here  is  another  who  refuses  to  drink  because  he  says  he 
is  not  yet  worthy  enough.  He  must  wait  till  he  is  a  much 
better  man  than  he  is  now.  To  him  you  would  say,  "  These 
waters  were  not  given  because  any  of  the  people  were  worthy, 
but  are  the  free  gift  of  God's  goodness.  Therefore  drink  and 
live. 

Those  waters  would  not  only  be  used  to  quench  thirst,  but 
to  cleanse  and  purify,  also.  '  Soon  as  the  people  had  quenched 
their  thirst,  and  felt  new  life  invigorate  their  frame,  they 
would  also  wash  and  be  clean.  But  suppose  you  were  to  see 
a  man  dying  of  thirst,  yet  refusing  to  touch  one  drop  of  the 
water,  because  he  tells  you  he  is  not  clean  enough  to  do  so  ; 
how  great  would  you  think  his  folly.  You  would  tell  him  that 
this  water  is  the  only  cleansing  element  he  can  obtain  ;  and 
would  urge  him  first  to  drink,  and  then  with  the  new  life  thui 


MOSES.       THE    MAN    OF    GOD.  i^^ 

obtained  to  wash  and  be  clean.  So  is  it  with  the  blood  of 
Jesus ;  it  not  only  saves  us  from  eternal  death,  but  cleanseth  us 
from  the  love  of  sin.  The  whole  human  race  are  at  this  mo- 
men  divided  into  two  classes ;  those  who  have  been  saved  and 
cleansed  by  that  blood,  and  those  who  have  not.  To  one  or 
other  of  those  classes  you  now  belong.  The  application  of 
the  blood  of  Jesus  makes  a  difference  between  men  as  great  as 
between  heaven  and  hell.  Jesus,  however,  must  be  taken  as  a 
complete  Savior.  He  came  not  to  help  you  to  save  yourself, 
but  must  have  the  whole  glory  of  the  work.  That  work  is 
perfect ;  to  it  you  can  add  nothing ;  and  oh,  do  not  insult  him 
by  trying  to  do  so ! 

Before  the  life-giving  water  could  come  from  that  rock,  it 
had  to  be  first  smitten.  This  was  done  by  divine  command. 
It  would  not  have  sufficed  to  wave  the  rod  over  the  rock,  nor 
to  lay  it  down  upon  it  gently;  the  very  thing  must  be  done 
that  God  commanded,  or  not  one  drop  of  water  could  come 
forth.  So  our  adorable  Redeemer  was  stricken,  smitten  of 
God,  and  afflicted.  The  sword  of  justice  must  strike  Him, 
because  He  stood  in  the  place  of  sinners.  Hence  we  are  told 
that  without  the  shedding  of  blood  there  could  be  no  remis- 
sion of  sin.  Hence,  also,  in  the  seventeenth  chapter  of  Le-. 
viticus,  we  have  these  words :  "  It  is  the  blood  that  maketh  an 
atonement  for  the  soul."  The  Lord  took  our  place  that  wg 
might  take  his  place.  Our  sin  was  put  upon  Him,  that  Hia 
righteousness  might  be  put  upon  us.  Oh,  amazing  grace  !  Oh, 
boundless  love !  Dear  reader,  will  you  not  look  to  that 
Savior  this  moment,  and  be  saved  ? 

"  There  is  life  for  a  look  at  the  Crucified  One  ; 
There  is  life  at  this  moment  for  thee  ; 
Then  look,  sinner — look  unto  Him,  and  be  saved — 
Unto  Him  who  was  nailed  to  the  Tree. 

♦'  Oh  !  why  was  He  there  as  the  bearer  of  sin. 
If  on  Jesus  f//j>  sins  were  not  laid? 
Oh  !  why  from  his  side  flowed  the  sin-cleansing  blood, 
If  his  dying  //^/debt  has  not  paid? 


134  ^"HE    WORLDS    HOPE. 

*'  It  is  not  thy  tears  of  repentance,  or  prayers, 
But  THE  BLOOD  that  atoncs  for  the  soul ; 
On  Him,  then,  who  shed  it,  thou  mayest  at  once 
Thy  weight  of  iniquities  rolh 

**  His  anguish  of  soul  on  the  cross  hast  thou  seen, 
His  cry  of  distress  hast  thou  heard? 
Then,  why,  if  the  terror  of  wratli  He  endured, 
Should  pardon  to  thee  be  deferr'd  ? 

*•  We  are  healed  by  His  stripes  ; — wouldst  thou  add  to  the  word? 
And  He  is  our  righteousness  made  ; 
The  best  robe  of  heaven  he  bids  thee  put  on  ; 
Oh  !  could'st  thou  be  better  arrayed  ? 

We  have  thus  seen  how  the  faith  of  Moses  again  triumphed. 
In  reading  some  account  of  the  labors  of  the  Rev.  John 
Eliot  among  the  Indians,  vv'e  were  struck  with  these  words  :  "  I 
have  not  been  dry,  night  or  day,  from  the  third  day  of  the 
week  unto  the  sixth,  but  so  traveled ;  and  at  night  pull  off  my 
boots  and  wring  my  stockings,  and  on  with  them  again,  and  so 
continue,  but  God  steps  in  and  helps T  Yes;  it  may  well  be 
said  that,  "  the  hour  of  our  extremity  is  the  hour  of  His  op- 
portunity." When  all  human  help  steps  out  and  leaves  us.  He 
steps  in.  Ah !  How  pleasant  to  hear  the  sound  of  his  foot- 
steps approaching,  but  still  more  glorious  to  have  His  very 
presence  with  us.  To  resign  what  we  have  been  trying  to  do 
with  trembling  hands  and  failing  strength;  and  to  see  Him 
take  it  up,  with  the  certainty  of  success,  is  happiness  indeed. 
The  very  memory  of  such  gracious  interference  on  their  be- 
half, will  fill  the  mouths  of  the  people  of  God  with  songs  of 
gratitude  forever. 

But  no  sooner  is  one  trial  over  with  the  man  of  God,  than 
another  comes.  They  tread  upon  each  others'  heels.  Like 
the  waves  of  the  ocean  they  come  in  quick  succession.  While 
the  Israelites  were  yet  in  a  weakened  condition,  the  Amalekites 
came,  in  a  most  cowardly  and  treacherous  manner,  and  at- 
tacked the  camp.  Moses  at  once  sent  forth  Joshua,  with  a 
band  of  brave  warriors,  to  repel  the  foe.  There  was,  in  sight 
of  the  battle  field,  a  hill,  to  the  top  of  which  Moses  ascended, 


MOSES.       THE    MAN    OF    GOD. 


^35 


Aaron  and  Hur  being  his  attendants.  There  the  man  of  God 
engaged  in  prayer  for  the  success  of  the  army  of  Israel.  It 
was  noticed  that  while  he  held  his  hands  up  toward  heaven, 
Israel  prevailed,  but  when,  through  fatigue,  they  drooped,  then 
Amalek  prevailed.  Hence,  Aaron  and  Hur,  one  on  each  side, 
held  up  the  hands  of  the  servant  of  the  Lord,  till  their  ene- 
mies were  driven  from  the  field. 

Moses  was  a  man  who  lived  very  near  God ;  but  he  was  no 
fanatic.  He  unites  prayer  and  exertion  together,  as  they  ever 
ought  to  be.  He  is  on  the  mount  pleading  and  wrestling  with 
God,  while  Joshua  was  below  with  his  brave  followers,  with 
invincible  courage  doing  battle  for  the  right.  As  this  was  the 
first  battle  that  Israel  had  fought,  no  doubt  their  patriotic 
leader  felt  peculiarly  anxious  for  a  complete  victory.  It  would 
inspire  the  people  with  fresh  courage  to  meet  the  difficulties 
that  lay  before  them  in  the  future ;  and  increase  their  confi- 
dence in  the  ultimate  success  of  the  undertaking. 

What  a  mighty  power  is  prayer  when  it  springs  forth  from  a 
believing  heart !  Then  it  is  that  we  see  the  enectual,  fervent 
prayer  of  the  righteous  man  availing  much.  The  man  who 
has  the  true  spirit  of  prayer  is  happy  above  all  others.  God 
may  not  always  give  him  what  he  asks,  for  that  would  not 
always  be  for  his  good.  Indeed,  we  often  ask  for  that  which, 
if  given,  would  bring  upon  us  destruction.  But  his  prayer  will 
be  answered  in  this,  that  the  spirit  of  holy  resignation  will  be 
imparted  to  him.  When  our  will  is  lost  in  God's  we  are  truly 
happy.  A  sweet  repose,  a  holy  calm  comes  over  the  soul ; 
which  is  a  foretaste  of  the  rest  that  remains  for  the  people  of 
God. 

How  happy  was  Moses  to  have  such  noble  co-workers  as 
Aaron  and  Hur !  And  happy  is  that  minister  of  the  gospel 
who  has  those  around  him  v/ho  hold  up  his  hands  by  faith  and 
prayer.  Easy  is  it  to  preach  and  labor  under  such  circum- 
stances. The  enemies  of  the  Lord  are  then  driven  back,  the 
cause  of  truth  advances  gloriously,  and  the  song  of  victory 
breaks  forth  from  the  heart  that  was  sinking  under  a  load  of 
despondency. 


136  THE    world's    hope. 

When  Moses  was  pleading  for  Israel  his  hands  began  to 
hang  down.  Human  weakness  will  show  itself  in  the  strongest ; 
for,  as  Mathew  Henry  says,  "  The  best  of  men  are  but  men  at 
the  best."  But  we  have  a  great  Intercessor  in  the  heavens, 
who  never  grows  weary,  whose  hands  never  hang  down,  and 
who  is  the  same  yesterday,  to-day,  and  forever.  When  con- 
scious of  guilt,  the  thought  of  His  intercession  brings  true 
comfort  to  the  believer.  The  new  nature  within  him  makes 
him  loathe  and  hate  sin.  On  feeling  its  workings  in  his  heart, 
he  can  say  with  Job,  "  I  abhor  myself,  and  repent  in  dust  and 
ashes."  In  such  a  state  of  mind  the  words  of  the  apostle 
come  like  a  breeze  from  paradise :  "  If  any  man  sin,  he  hath 
an  advocate  with  the  Father." 

In  reading  this  case  of  successful  intercession  on  the  part  of 
Moses,  we  cannot  help  joining  it  with  another  case,  that  oc- 
curred some  time  later.  We  have  an  account  of  it  in  the 
thirty-third  chapter  of  Exodus.  It  is  when  he  went  to  plead 
forgiveness  for  the  great  sin  of  making  and  worshiping  the 
golden  calf.  It  is  a  passage  in  the  history  of  this  good  man, 
so  richly  edifying  that  it  should  be  read  again  and  again,  and 
reflected  upon  with  deepest  reverence.  It  is  something  like  a 
rich  mine  of  gold,  the  more  it  is  wrought  the  richer  the  supply. 
In  the  conversation  with  God  which  is  here  recorded,  we  can- 
not help  noticing  the  simple-heartedness  of  the  Prophet.  He 
ful^y  unbosomed  himself,  and  pours  out  his  whole  heart.  He 
has  now  had  some  experience  of  what  kind  of  a  people  he  has 
to  deal  with,  and  of  the  difficulties  with  which  he  will  have  to 
contend ;  and  he  feels  that  to  have  power  with  the  people,  he 
must  first  have  power  with  God. 

The  Lord  acknowledges  the  full  power  of  his  plea.  He 
condescends  to  talk  with  this  poor  feeble  mortal  face  to  face. 
He  listens  to  his  appeals  for  help,  not  only  with  patience,  but 
even  with  approval.  He  does  not  chide  him  for  his  boldness ; 
but,  on  the  contrary,  acknov/ledges  the  full  force  of  every  word 
he  says.  Moses  felt  bowed  down  under  a  sense  of  his  own 
unfitness  for  the  work  before  him ;  and  pleads  for  God  to  go 
with  him,  with  an  intensity  of  earnestness,  that  almost  makes  us 


MOSES.       THE    MAN    OF    GOD,  137 

tremble  as  we  read  of  it.  We  almost  feel  as  if  he  were  going 
too  far.  But  the  reply  comes,  "  My  presence  shall  go  with  thee, 
and  I  will  give  thee  rest."  We  would  think  that  here  the 
prophet  would  stop.  But  no  ;  his  mind  is  in  so  anxious  a  state, 
the  issues  involved  are  so  tremendous,  that  he  comes  nearer 
and  still  more  urgently  presses  his  request,  when  the  reply 
again  comes,  "  I  will  do  this  thing  also  that  thou  hast  spoken  ; 
for  thou  hast  found  grace  in  my  sight,  and  I  know  thee  by 
name." 

Emboldened  by  this  success  Moses  ventures  still  further. 
Indeed,  he  had  been  drawing  nearer  and  nearer  through  the 
whole  of  the  interview.  A  holy  familiarity  had  been  going  on, 
till  it  reaches  a  climax  that  overwhelms  us  with  astonishment. 
The  man  of  God  now  takes  such  a  position  as  no  mortal  man 
ever  took  before,  as  he  exclaims,  "  I  beseech  thee,  show  me  thy 
glory."  Oh,  what  a  request  to  come  from  a  poor  worm  of  the 
earth  !  V/e  expect  to  see  him  repelled  Avith  indignation.  We 
look  for  the  thunderbolt  to  leap  forth  for  his  destruction ;  or  to 
see  him  flung  to  the  base  of  the  mountain  a  ghastly  corpse. 
But  no.  Instead  of  that  we  hear  the  gracious  words,  "  I  will 
make  all  my  goodness  to  pass  before  thee."  The  great  Jeho- 
vah engages  to  show  him  all  that  he  can  bear  in  his  present 
state.  He  is  assured  that  the  full  unveiled  glory  of  the  God- 
head he  could  not  see  and  live.  But  he  agrees  to  show  him 
all  that  he  can  bear ;  and  to  den^  him  nothing  that  will  be  pos- 
sible for  his  mortal  condition. 

Here  we  have  a  sight  which  for  sublimity  and  moral  gran- 
deur is  without  a  parallel  in  the  history  of  our  race.  That  hand 
that  guides  the  stars  in  their  courses,  that  regulates  the  course 
of  the  flaming  comet,  that  tunes  the  thunder's  roar,  and  modi- 
fies the  rage  of  the  lightning's  flash,  takes  this  man  of  mighty 
faith  and  puts  him  in  the  cleft  of  a  rock,  that  he  may  show  him 
his  glory  and  make  all  his  goodness  pass  before  him.  Ten- 
derly the  great  Jehovah  puts  his  hand  over  his  feeble  creature, 
that  the  full  splendor  of  the  Godhead  may  not  consume  him. 
Christ  is  represented  as  a  rock  in  the  cleft  of  which  we  can 
hide  and  be  safe. 


138  THE    world's    hope. 

"  Rock  of  ages  cleft  for  me, 
Let  me  hide  myself  in  thee." 

When  we  look  at  God  in  Christ  vre  can  behold  him  without 
a  veil  between  ;  and  yet  know  that  to  us  he  is  not  a  con- 
suming fire. 

There  was  Moses  alone  with  God,  amid  the  deep  solitudes 
of  that  rugged,  wild  and  sublime  scenery.  We  see  him 
rising  early  in  the  morning,  brushing  away  the  early  dew,  and 
climbing  up  the  craggy  summit  that  he  may  be  alone  with  God. 
No  doubt  that  a  deep  and  profound  awe  rested  upon  his  mind ; 
but  there  is  no  evidence  that  he  felt  anything  like  dread.  No, 
he  loved  God,  and  perfect  lovecasteth  out  fear.  Hence  he  was 
ready  to  go  into  any  solitary  place,to  be  alone  with  Him  he  loved. 

Now,  my  reader,  what  would  you  think  of  such  an  interview 
with  your  Maker ;  of  such  a  face  to  face  converse  with  the  Lord 
of  the  universe?  Suppose  that  you  were  informed  that  you 
might  have  such  an  interview  this  very  night,  would  you  gladly 
accept  the  offer .''  Would  your  heart  leap  with  joy  at  the  pro- 
posal ?  If  you  knew  God  through  his  Son,  you  would  ;  but  if 
not,  your  heart  would  quake  within  you  under  a  consciousness 
of  guilt.  God  seen  through  the  law  produces  nothing  but  ter- 
ror. Paul  says,  "  Wlien  the  commandment  came  sin  revived 
and  I  died."  He  had  studied  that  law  under  the  great  doctors 
of  the  age,  but  that  was  mere  theory  ;  but  when  the  spirituality 
of  the  law  was  brought  home  to  his  heart,  sin  after  sin  came 
up  and  filled  him  with  condemnation.  In  like  manner  when 
Moses  saw  God  through  the  law  he  said,  "  I  exceedingly  fear 
and  quake."  But  when  he  saw  God  through  atoning  blood,  all 
his  fears  fled  away  as  the  morning  fog  disappears  before  the 
rising  glories  of  the  sun. 

No  wonder  that  when  Moses  came  down  from  the  mount, 
where  such  glorious  manifestations  had  been  made  to  him, 
his  face  shone  with  luster  too  bright  for  the  people  of  Israel 
to  look  upon.  The  impression  of  God  and  of  eternal  truth 
which  he  had  obtained  reflected  themselves  upon  his  counte- 
nance, and  made  him  appear  like  an  angel  of  brightness  come 
from  the  upper  glory. 


MOSES.       THE    MAN    OF    GOD. 


139 


This  personal  knowledge  of  God  was  of  more  value  to  him 
as  a  leader  than  all  his  previous  studies  had  been.  No  study, 
no  learning,  no  eloquence  can  be  a  substitute  for  this,  in  one 
who  would  lead  the  people  of  God,  or  in  any  way  do  good  in 
the  world.  Those  sweet  hours  of  communion  with  heaven 
were  infinitely  more  valuable  to  the  prophet  than  all  the  learn- 
ing of  the  Egyptians. 

Unconverted  reader,  I  ask  you  to  come  to  God  through 
Jesus.  Do  not  halt  or  hesitate,  for  while  you  do  so  the  great 
gulf  will  soon  be  fixed  between  you  and  heaven.  Your  char- 
acter is  now  forming  and  \vill  soon  be  stereotyped  forever.  In- 
decision soon  becomes  decision.  You  decide  for  hell  while 
you  only  think  that  you  are  wavering  about  heaven ! 

"Go  up,  go  up,  my  heart, 

Dwell  with  thy  God  above  ; 
For  here  thou  canst  not  rest, 
Nor  here  give  out  thy  love. 

"  Go  up,  go  up,  my  heart, 
Be  not  a  trifler  here  ; 
Ascend  above  these  clouds. 
Dwell  in  a  higher  sphere. 

"  Let  not  thy  love  flow  out 

To  things  so  soiled  and  dim, 
Go  up,  to  heaven  and  God, 
Take  up  thy  love  to  him. 

"  Waste  not  thy  precious  stores 
On  creature-love  below  ; 
To  God  that  wealth  belongs, 
On  him  that  wealth  bestow. 

"  Go  up,  reluctant  heart, 
Take  up  thy  rest  above ; 
Arise,  earth-clinging  thoughts, 
Ascend,  my  lingering  love." 


t40  .    THE    WORLD  S    HOPE. 


CHAPTER  X. 
MOSES  ON  MOUNT  SINAI. 

We  now  approach  one  of  the  most  important  periode  in  the 
life  of  Moses.  He  has  come  back  to  the  place  where  he  had 
received  his  great  commission,  according  to  the  promise  then 
made  to  him  :  "  Certainly,  I  will  be  with  thee ;  and  this  shall  be 
a  token  unto  thee  that  I  have  sent  thee.  AVhen  thou  hast 
brought  forth  the  people  out  of  Egypt,  ye  shall  serve  God  upon 
this  mountain." 

That  wonderful  column  of  cloud  and  fire,  which  had  heretc^- 
fore  been  their  heaven-appointed  guide,  now  moved  up  to  the 
top  of  Mount  Sinai.  These  were  familiar  scenes  to  the  man  bf 
God.  Here,  in  retirement,  away  from  the  din  and  turmoil  of 
the  world,  his  soul  had  been  disciplined  for  true  greatness. 
There  are  scarcely  any  who  have  left  their  impress  upon  the 
world  for  good,  who  have  not  been  first  fitted  for  that  preemi- 
nence by  retirement. 

It  was  now  the  purpose  of  God  to  display  his  glory  and 
make  known  his  will  to  this  people,  in  such  a  way  as  had  not 
before  been  done.  He  was  about  to  take  them  into  covenant 
with  himself,  as  a  highly  honored  and  favored  people  ;  by 
giving  them  written  laws  and  established  institutions  of  a  typi- 
cal character.  If  they  would  obey  his  voice,  and  walk  accord- 
ing to  the  statutes  he  would  give  them,  he  promised  to  make 
them  his  peculiar  pleasure  above  all  nations ;  and  the  people 
cried  out,  as  with  one  voice :  "  All  that  the  Lord  has  spoken 
Avill  we  do." 

But  before  the  law  was  to  be  proclaimed  three  days  were  to 
elapse  as  days  of  preparation.  Outwardly  they  were  to  wash 
and  cleanse  themselves,  and  inwardly  they  were  to  be  filled 
with  a  deep  conviction  of  their  own  sinfulness,  and  of  the  holi- 


MOSES    ON    MOUNT    SINAI.  I^I 

ness  of  that  Great  Jehovah  who  was  about  to  address  them.  A 
barrier  was  placed  around  the  mountain,  across  which  neither 
man  nor  beast  was  to  pass ;  for  even  to  touch  the  sacred  en- 
closure was  to  incur  the  penalty  of  instant  death. 

We  can  easily  conceive  something  of  the  solemn  hush  of 
expectation  which  would  fall  upon  the  people,  while  all  the 
preparations  were  going  on.  Many  an  anxious  and  eager  look 
would  be  turned  towards  that  rugged  mountain,  and  many 
conjectures  would  be  whispered  from  mouth  to  mouth,  regard- 
ing the  events  about  to  take  place. 

At  last  the  morning  of  the  third  day  dawns.  The  whole 
masses  are  moved  with  one  common  excitement.  The  camp 
is  all  alive  under  the  influence  of  thrilling  expectations.  At 
the  doors  of  the  tents  are  seen  crowds  of  anxious  faces,  waiting 
to  know  what  is  next  to  be  done.  The  proclamation  of  Moses 
is  spread  among  them,  calling  upon  them  to  come  and  meet 
with  God.  There  they  stand  in  solemn  awe,  every  tongue 
silent,  and  every  murmur  hushed.  The  deep  and  profound 
stillness  of  the  vast  throng  is  at  last  broken  by  the  outburst  of 
the  elements.  The  mountain  seemed  shaken  to  its  very  foun- 
dations, vivid  sheets  of  blinding  flame  came  from  out  of  the 
dark  cloud,  and  terrific  crashes  of  thunder  made  the  most 
careless  tremble.  A  black  cloud  wraps  Sinai  from  view  ;  and, 
piercing  through  that  cloud,  and  breaking  upon  the  ears  of  the 
trembling  people,  comes  the  sound  of  a  trumpet  exceeding 
loud.  God  has  come  down  amid  that  fire  and  smoke,  and  not 
only  do  the  million's  of  Israel  tremble,  but  the  mountain  waves 
to  and  fro  under  the  tramp  of  God's  footstep  ;  while  the  very 
earth  quivers  at  the  presence  of  its  Lord.  Ah  !  we  can  imag- 
ine how,  with  pale  faces  and  quivering  lips,  friends  would  cling 
to  each  other ;  and  children,  with  screams  of  distress,  entreat 
their  mothers  to  carry  them  from  the  dreadful  scene. 

But  hark !  another  sound  is  heard :  it  is  the  voice  of  God 
commanding  Moses  to  come  up  to  him  to  the  mount.  Will  he 
go  up  amid  the  smoke  and  tempest,  and  the  sounding  of  Hea- 
ven's dread  artillery  ?  Every  eye  is  fixed  upon  him  ;  but  he 
does  not  hesitate  for  a  moment.     With  calm  and  tranquil  look 


S42 


THE    WORLD  S    HOPE. 


he  moves  forward  through  the  boundary  line,  and  is  lost  to 
sight  as  he  enters  the  cloud.  For  forty  days  and  nights  he 
there  remained  alone  with  Jevovah.  There  he  received  the 
ten  commandments,  inscribed  by  the  finger  of  God  himself, 
upon  two  tables  of  stone.  This  whole  scene  is  awfully  grand, 
and  brings  before  our  minds  the  solemn  events  of  the  day  of 
judgment,  when  the  trumpet  shall  sound  and  its  peals  echo  from 
pole  to  pole,  break  upon  the  ear  of  the  slumbering  dead,  and 
bring  them  forth  to  give  an  account  of  the  deeds  done  in  the 
body. 

We  are  told  that  such  was  the  effect  upon  the  people,  of  the 
sights  and  sounds  of  Sinai,  that,  retreating  in  terror  from  the 
mountain,  they  cried  out  to  Moses :  "  Speak  thou  to  us ;  but 
let  not  the  Lord  speak  to  us  lest  we  die,"  Oh,  happy  those 
who,  in  the  day  of  account  shall  have  the  Great  Advocate  to 
come  between  God  and  them,  claiming  them  as  the  purchase 
of  his  own  blood. 

While  standing  at  Sinai  there  are  some  most  important  les- 
sons that  we  may  learn.  One  of  these  is  the  greatness  of  the 
God  w^th  whom  we  have  to  do.  When  man  was  first  called 
into  being  the  law  of  his  Lord  was  written  upon  his  heart,  en- 
graved upon  his  very  soul,  and  no  scenes  of  terror  were 
required  to  impress  it  upon  his  mind.  His  soul  as  naturally 
ascended  to  God  as  the  grass  grows  upwards,  or  as  the  rivers 
run  down  hill.  But  he  became  a  rebel,  and  the  law  had  again 
to  be  proclaimed,  amid  those  displays  of  power  of  which  we 
have  spoken.  That  God  still  holds  man  to  a  strict  accounta- 
bility. We  must  soon  meet  Him  ;  and  it  must  be  either  as  par- 
doned or  unpardoned  sinners.  It  cannot  be  doubted  that  it 
must  be  a  fearful  thing  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  a  being  whose 
law  and  gospel  have  both  been  dispised.  Oh  come  then  to 
a  shelter  from  the  stormy  blast,  provided  by  infinite  love  !  It 
is  a  fearful  thing  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  living  God,  while 
trying  to  put  the  rags  of  your  own  righteousness  in  the  place 
of  the  spotless  robe  which  Jesus  has  provided. 

In  the  conduct  of  the  people  of  Israel  at  the  foot  of  Mount 
Sinai,  we  see  an  awful  proof  of  the  depravity  of  our  race. 


MOSES    ON    MOUNT    SINAI, 


143 


Scarcely  had  the  sound  of  the  thunders  and  the  trumpet  and 
the  voice  of  the  Lord  died  away  upon  their  ears,  than  we  see 
them  upon  their  knees  before  an  idol  God  of  their  own  mak- 
ing. O  how  base  and  ungrateful !  The  Lord  had  delivered 
them  from  bondage  the  most  degrading  and  painful ;  had  made 
them  a  highway  through  the  waters  of  the  sea,  the  surging  bil- 
lows of  which  found  a  grave  for  their  enemies;  had  brought 
waters  from  the  flinty  rock,  and  rained  down  bread  from 
heaven ;  and  yet  all  this  is  forgotten.  The  same  place  that 
had  but  lately  witnessed  their  pale  faces  and  trembling  fears, 
their  pledges  publicly  given  that  they  would  serve  the  Lord, 
now  witnesses  their  profane  mirth,  mingled  with  their  horrid 
idolatry. 

In  them  we  see  a  true  picture  of  ourselves.  How  often  have 
we  broken  our  vows  and  falsified  our  best  resolutions.  How 
often  we  have  forgotten  God  and  turned  to  our  idols.  Our 
proper  place  is  in  the  dust  before  Him.  It  is  natural  for  us  to 
think  highly  of  ourselves,  but  we  can  gain  nothing  by  such 
folly.  It  may  be  very  painful  to  know  the  worst  about  our- 
selves, but  thus  only  can  we  know  the  best  about  Jesus.  We 
must  be  emptied  of  self  in  order  to  be  filled  with  Christ. 

This  law  given,  amidst-such  solemnity,  was  good  and  just  and 
perfect.  It  was  worthy  of  our  love  and  obedience.  It  was  the 
moral  likeness  of  the  Creator,  and  had  his  glorious  perfections 
stamped  upon  it.  To  violate  the  law  was  to  incur  great  guilt, 
and  bring  upon  the  soul  a  tremendous  curse.  That  curse  is 
on  every  man  out  of  Christ.  No  attempts  of  his  own  can  ever 
remove  it.  No  tears,  no  prayers,  no  reformation  of  conduct 
can  bring  the  soul  from  under  its  condemnation.  There  is  but 
one  name  given  under  heaven  that  can  bring  us  deliverance. 
It  is  the  name  of  Jesus.  He  has  kept  that  law,  honored  it,  and 
magnified  it.  He  bore  the  curse  of  it  for  us ;  and  none  need 
fall  under  its  condemnation  if  they  go  to  him  by  simple  faith. 
We  are  told  of  a  poor  boy,  a  shoeblack  in  one  of  our  East- 
ern cities,  who  had  heard  the  story  of  the  cross  at  a  mission 
Sabbath  school.  He  was  stricken  with  disease,  and  expected 
to  die.      His  teacher  went  to  see  him  and  found  both  his 


144  "^^"^^    WORLD  S    HOPE. 

parents  drunk,  and  the  dying  boy  quite  neglected.  "  Shall  I 
bring  you  a  nurse  or  medicine  ?"  said  the  teacher.  "  No,  I 
only  want  to  ask  you  two  questions.  Did  Jesus  die  for  all  of 
us?"  "  Yes,  my  boy,  he  did."  "  Well,  will  he  save  all  who 
come  to  him.?"  "  Yes,  he  will."  "Thank  God  he  has  saved 
me,"  said  the  dying  boy,  and  his  head  fell  upon  his  breast. 
His  soul  had  gone  to  be  forever  with  the  Lord. 

**  Grace  is  flowing  like  a  river; 

Millions  there  have  been  supplied;- 
Still  it  flows  as  full  as  ever 

From  the  Savior's  wounded  side." 

Our  Lord's  substitution  was  a  perfect  one.  The  blood  shed 
was  that  of  God  in  our  nature;  and  therefore  can  wash  away 
the  blackest  stains.  Had  he  been  but  a  man,  we  might  well 
be  afraid  to  venture  our  eternal  all  upon  him.  No  where  can 
we  see  the  beauty  of  the  gospel  more  clearly  than  at  Sinai. 
There  we  learn  that  by  the  works  of  the  law,  no  flesh  can  be 
justified.  In  the  midst  of  terror  and  flashing  lightnings  and 
rolling  thunders  the  law  came,  while  humanity  trembled  before 
its  just  and  infallible  demands;  but  the  gospel  came  in  the 
stillness  of  the  night,  spoken  by  the  sweet  voices  of  angels,  and 
telling  of  peace  and  the  good  will  of  God  to  men.  The  law 
says,  "The  soul  that  sinneth  it  shall  die;"  the  gospel  says, 
"  Believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  and  thou  shalt  be  saved." 
The  law  comes  with  frowns  and  threatenings ;  the  gospel  with 
smiles  and  invitations.  The  law  wounds;  the  gospel  heals. 
The  law  kills;  the  gospel  makes  alive. 

Blessed  be  God,  the  gospel  reveals  the  greatest  of  Saviors 
for  the  greatest  of  sinners.  He  is  mighty  to  save.  He  comes 
traveling  in  the  greatness  of  his  strength,  with  garments  dyed 
in  blood,  and  hands  stretched  out  to  save  you  from  going  down 
to  the  pit.  In  the  French  Revolution  we  are  told  of  a  young 
man  who  was  condemned  to  the  guillotine,  and  shut  up  in  one 
of  the  prisons.  He  had  many  friends  who  loved  him  well,  but 
one  who  loved  him  above  all  others.  How  did  that  person 
prove  this.?     Why,  by  giving  up  his  life  for  him.     It  was  his 


MOSES    ON    MOUNT    SINAI.  I45 

own  father,  and  when  the  lists  were  called,  his  name  being  the 
same  as  the  son's,  he  answered  for  him,  rode  out  in  the  gloomy 
death-cart  for  him,  and  for  him  had  his  head  cut  off  by  the 
cruel  instrument  of  death.  In  this  see  a  faint  picture  of  the 
love  of  your  Savior.  Your  name  was  on  the  condemned  list. 
You  would  surely  have  died.  But  Jesus  took  your  place. 
Come  to  him  and  your  name  will  no  longer  be  on  the  con- 
demned list ;  for  he  takes  your  condemnation  upon  himself. 
There  is  no  condemnation  to  them  who  are  in  Christ.  They 
are  set  free  forever. 

Leaving  the  solemn  scenes  of  Mount  Sinai  the  Israelites 
were  marched  into  the  wilderness  of  Paran.  Here  the  old 
spirit  of  discontent  and  rebellion  began  to  foment,  and  soon 
broke  out  against  the  Lord  and  his  servant  Moses.  Even  the 
long  forbearance  of  God  has  an  end,  and  his  displeasure  was 
kindled  against  them  so  that  multitudes  were  destroyed.  In 
their  vile  ingratitude  they  complained  of  the  very  bread  that 
was  rained  dovrn  to  them  from  heaven  to  eat.  Such  constant 
murmuring  and  complaining  began  to  weigh  down  the  spirit  of 
the  man  of  God,  so  that  he  felt  the  burden  of  governing  such 
a  people  too  heavy  for  him,  and  called  to  the  Lord  for  deliv- 
erance. His  prayer  was  answered,  and  he  was  directed  to 
choose  out  seventy  elders  as  a  judicial  court,  to  attend  to  the 
affairs  of  this  great  peofile.  This  was  no  doubt  the  origin  of 
the  great  Jewish  Sanhedrim,  which  was  in  full  operation  in  the 
days  of  our  Lord. 

And  here  a  circumstance  occurred  which  presents  the  spirit 
of  Moses  in  a  noble  light.  It  seems  that  the  spirit  of  proph- 
ecy had  been  given  to  two  young  men  of  the  camp,  named 
Eldad  and  Meclad.  Some  of  the  prophet's  friends  being  jeal- 
ous for  his  honor,  told  him  of  this  and  wished  him  to  put  a  stop 
to  it.  But  he  had  a  mind  lifted  infinitely  above  all  such  paltry 
jealousy.  He  only  wanted  good  to  be  done,  he  cared  not  where 
or  by  whom.  His  exalted  reply  was,  "Would  God  that  all  the 
Lord's  people  v/ere  prophets,  and  that  the  Lord  would  put  his 
spirit  upon  them."  V/hat  a  beautiful  magnanimity  was  here 
displayed.     It  reminds  us  of  the  spirit  and  temper  shown  by 


146  THE    WOKLD's    hope. 

another  great  man,  many  centuries  afterwards,  that  is  Paul,  the 
Apostle  of  the  Gentiles.  In  his  day  there  Avere  some  who 
preached  the  gospel  out  of  envy,  and  others  from  a  malignant 
wish  to  add  to  his  afflictions,  already  heavy  enough;  but  in- 
stead of  returning  evil  for  evil,  his  great  heart  of  love  spoke 
out  in  the  noble  Avords,  "  Notwithstanding  the  gospel  is 
preached;  and  in  this  I  rejoice;  yea,  and  will  rejoice."  There 
are  some  small,  paltry  minds,  who  cannot  rejoice  in  good 
done,  unless  it  be  in  connection  with  their  own  individual 
efforts.  They  are  ever  trumpeting  abroad  what  they  have 
done  and  what  they  have  attempted  ;  while  the  self-denying 
efforts  of  others  are  past  by  with  indifference  or  silence.  O, 
how  unlike  the  spirit  of  the  Lord  Jesus ! 

There  are  others  v/ho  take  but  little  interest  in  the  work  of 
God,  unless  in  connection  with  their  church  or  their  denomi- 
nation. Soul's  may  be  converted  in  hundreds  and  thousands 
in  other  churches,  but  it  fills  their  souls  with  no  gladness,  but 
often  with  a  doubtful  shake  of  their  heads  they  seek  to  cast 
discredit  on  the  whole  matter.  Now  this  is  far  from  the  lovely 
spirit  of  the  gospel.  As  long  as  good  is  done  and  precious 
souls  saved,  let  us  rejoice  in  it,  and  give  the  work  our  fullest 
sympathy  and  heartiest  cooperation. 

We  have  knovvn  pome  ministers  who  showed  themselves 
somewhat  jealous  of  the  successful  labors  of  laymen.  They 
seem  to  think  that  their  peculiar  preogatives  were  being  en- 
croached upon,  and  that  they  must  stand  up  for  their  profess- 
ional dignity.  This  is  as  silly  as  it  is  wicked.  The  world  can 
never  be  converted  by  ministers  alone.  They  cannot  do  all  the 
work  that  must  be  done,  and  there  is  a  certain  class  to  whom  they 
cannot  gain  access  as  easily  as  laymen  can.  Besides,  the  Bi- 
ble nowhere  tells  us  that  ministers  have  an  exclusive  right  to 
preach  the  gospel — a  grand  monopoly  of  the  work  of  saving 
sinners.  The  Bible  says,  "Let  him  that  heareth  say.  Come  !" 
By  teaching  in  the  Sabbath  school;  by  distributing  tracts  ;  by 
visiting  from  house  to  house  ;  and  where  they  have  talents  for 
the  work,by  preaching  in  destitute  places,  in  school-houses,  in 
prisons,  in  the  open  air,  or  wherever  the  masses  of  the  people 


MOSES    ON    MOUNT    SINAI.  I47 

congregate ;  the  whole  membership  of  the  church  is  to  be  em- 
ployed. Happy  that  minister  who  knows  how  to  organize  the 
hosts  of  the  Lord  ;  and  can  prove  himself  a  skillful  leader,  well 
pleased  if  the  Lord  condescends  to  make  the  humblest  of  his 
members,  more  useful  than  himself.  But  that  narrow-minded 
bigot  who,  standing  upon  his  professional  dignity,  looks  coldly 
upon  all  such  efforts,  can  neither  have  the  approbation  of  God 
nor  of  good  men. 

It  is  certainly  one  of  the  most  encouraging  signs  of  the  times 
that  God  is  raising  up  and  qualifying  so  many  laymen  to  en- 
gage in  his  work.  As  we  see  them  go  forth  with  the  love  of 
Christ  in  their  hearts,  with  fervent  zeal,  with  ready  speech,  and 
with  ability  to  sway  the  minds  of  the  masses  of  men,  they  bear 
all  the  evidences  of  being  heaven-sent.  In  such  numbers  have 
these  sprung  up  in  America,  in  Britain,  and  in  Germany,  that 
we  cannot  but  regard  it  as  one  of  the  signs  of  the  coming  of  a 
brighter  day  for  Zion.  The  Lord  is  choosing  these  men  from 
all  classes  and  conditions  of  life.  In  Scotland  and  in  Canada 
he  has  sent  some  forth  from  the  ranks  of  the  titled  nobility, 
who,  in  the  drawing-rooms  of  the  rich,  as  well  as  in  the  humble 
home  of  the  poor,  are  publishing  the  glad  tidings.  In  other 
cases  he  is  sending  out  young  men  who,  working  at  their  me- 
chanical employments  for  their  own  support,  have  gone  from 
town  to  town,  telling  the  simple  story  of  the  cross  with  great 
power  and  wonderful  success.  In  other  cases  persons  are  con- 
verted from  the  lowest  and  most  degraded  of  the  people,  living 
way  down  at  the  very  bottom  of  society,  and  these  have  carried 
the  truths  of  salvation  into  the  circles  that  the  minister  of  the 
gospel  could  not  reach,  and  could  effect  but  very  little  if  he 
did.  Glory  to  God  for  all  this  !  The  work  is  His ;  and  woe  to 
the  man  who  would  cast  the  least  obstacle  in  the  way  in  order 
to  sustain  the  interests  of  any  particular  class. 

Let  the  minister  seek  to  make  every  member  of  his  church 
a  co-worker  with  himself  and  with  God,  in  the  world's  deliv- 
erance from  sin.  Let  every  young  convert  be  taught  to  be  a 
worker  for  Jesus  every  day  of  his  life.  Let  them  understand 
that  to  cease  working  for  the  Savior  is  a  strong  evidence  of 


1.48  THE    world's    hope. 

blacksliding  of  heart.  Let  there  be  a  noble  emulation  of  who 
shall  do  most  in  their  own  spheres,  and  according  to  the  talent 
committed  to  them,  for  the  honor  of  the  gracious  Master.  Let 
all  ministers  cultivate  the  noble  spirit  of  Moses.  "  Would  to 
God  that  all  the  Lord's  people  were  prophets." 

We  come  now  to  an  event  which  is  full  of  the  richness  of 
gospel  truth,  and  which  shows  how  the  wisdom  and  goodness 
of  God  can  bring  out  of  the  wickedness  of  man  that  which  will 
be  of  world-wide  benefit  to  our  race.  It  has  been  truly  said,  that 
sin  is  the  most  expensive  thing  in  the  whole  world.  Whether 
it  is  pardoned  or  unpardoned,  it  costs  an  infinite  price.  If 
pardoned,  it  costs  the  precious  blood  of  God's  own  Son  ;  if  not 
pardoned  it  costs  an  eternity  of  woe.  God  will  not  do  any- 
thing to  lower  the  dignity  of  his  own  law.  It  has  been  dis- 
honored by  wicked  men  and  devils  ;  but  all  that  God  does  for 
his  creature's  eternal  welfare  must  be  done  in  such  a  way  as 
to  honor  that  law  in  the  highest  degree.  That  law  is  essential  to 
the  happiness  of  all  his  intelligent  creatures.  Hence  its  honor 
must  be  kept  up,  whatever  it  costs.  It  did  cost  avast  sacrifice, 
but  it  was  freely  given.  "  Not  with  corruptible  things,  such  as 
silver  and  gold,  were  ye  redeemed ;  but  with  the  precious  blood 
of  the  Son  of  God." 

While  the  Israelites  lay  encamped  at  Mount  Hur,  King  Arad 
came  out  in  a  secret  manner  and  took  a  number  of  them  pris- 
oners. He  gained  nothing  by  this,  however,  for  the  men  of 
war  went  forth  and  destroyed  his  cities.  This  success  so  filled 
them  with  pride  that  they  thought  they  could  conquer  the 
whole  land,  and  march  directly  into  Canaan.  Hence  they 
murmured  about  the  length  of  the  way  by  which  the  Lord  was 
leading  them,  and  displayed  generally  a  very  seditious  spirit. 
As  a  punishment  fiery  serpents  were  sent  among  them,  the  bite 
of  which  was  deadly.  Numbers  were  dying  all  over  the  camp, 
and  the  people,  repenting  cf  their  conduct,  entreated  Moses  to 
plead  with  the  Lord  on  their  behalf.  This  he  did,  and  with 
great  success.  And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  "  Make  thee  a 
fiery  serpent,  and  set  it  upon  a  pole  ;  and  it  shall  come  to  pass, 
that  every  one  that  is  bitten,  when  he  looketh  upon  it,  shall 


MOSES   ON    MOUNT    SIANI. 


149 


live."  "And  Moses  made  a  serpent  of  brass  and  put  it  upon 
a  pole,  and  it  came  to  pass,  that  if  a  serpent  had  bitten  any 
mah,  when  he  beheld  the  serpent  of  brass,  he  lived." 

That  this  was  directly  typical  cf  the  Lord  Jesus  we  learn 
from  his  own  words  to  Nicodemus.  "  As  Moses  lifted  up  the 
serpent  in  the  wilderness,  even  so  must  the  son  of  man  be 
lifted  up ;  that  whosoever  believeth  in  him,  should  not  perish, 
but  have  eternal  life."  In  both  cases  the  object  was  to  save 
dying  men.  The  bite  of  the  serpent  was  sure  death,  unless  a 
remedy  had  been  provided ;  and  so  sin  is  certain  destruction 
to  the  soul,  had  not  a  Savior  been  provided. 

Whoever  looked  at  the  brazen  serpent  was  cured.  It  might 
be  an  old,  hoary-headed  sinner,  or  it  might  be  a  youth  of  tender 
years  and  amiable  impulses ;  but  both  were  to  be  saved  in  the 
same  way.  The  man,  at  the  very  point  of  death,  whose  black- 
ened and  bloated  form  told  of  his  near  approach  to  eternity ; 
and  the  man  who  had  just  been  bitten,  and  could  see  no  danger 
at  all  in  his  present  state,  were  both  to  be  saved  by  looking  at 
the  same  object.  So  it  is  with  the  plan  of  salvation  through 
a  crucified  Redeemer.  The  vilest  transgressor  and  the  most 
moral  and  amiable  sinner,  must  come  in  the  same  way ;  trust- 
ing alone  in  Christ's  merits.  This  has  been  a  great  stumbling 
block  to  many  a  proud  soul.  Here,  for  example,  is  a  pirate 
just  come  from  the  slippery  deck  of  his  vessel,  his  hands  red 
with  the  blood  of  murder.  The  vilest  passions  gleam  from  his 
eyes,  and  his  lips  burn  with  the  most  horrid  blasphemies.  But 
the  very  first  time  he  hears  the  gospel  he  is  cut  to  the  heart 
and  begins  to  cry  for  mercy.  His  sins  roll  up  before  him  in 
terrific  array ;  and  as  if  they  were  mountains  of  lead,  he  feels 
that  they  are  dragging  him  down  to  perdition.  But  suddenly 
he  hears  the  Lord  telling  him,  that  His  blood  can  cleanse  from 
all  sin ;  and  that  whosoever  cometh  to  him  he  will  in  no  wise 
cast  out.  He  believes  it,  takes  God  at  his  word,  and  is  at  once 
saved.  A  sense  of  peace  and  pardon  takes  possession  of  his 
soul.  He  knows  that  his  sins  are  all  forgiven  him  for  Jesus' 
sake.     As  an  adopted  child  he  can  go  with  confidence  into  the 


150  THE    world's    hope. 

presence  of  the  heavenly  Father,  and  worship  him  without  a 
cloud  between. 

But  here  is  an  amiable,  kind-hearted  man,  whose  life  glides 
smoothly  on  in  acts  of  benevolence  and  good-will  to  his  fellow- 
men.  In  all  the  relations  of  life,  he  is  strictly  moral  and  duti- 
ful. In  short,  in  many  respects  he  is  regarded  by  his  neighbors 
as  a  model  man.  Yet  inwardly  he  has  a  sinful  heart.  He 
does  not  love  God  with  all  his  soul.  He  has,  in  thought  and 
feeling,  broken  God's  law  every  hour  of  his  life.  The  curse  of 
that  law  is  upon  him.  From  that  curse  he  can  only  be  saved 
by  the  same  means  that  saved  the  blood-stained  murderer.  He 
must  com^e  emptied  of  self,  a  poor  hell-deserving  sinner  as  the 
other  came ;  and  be  saved  by  the  blood  of  Jesus  alone.  He 
must  count  all  his  morality  and  outward  goodness  as  doing 
nothing  for  him  in  the  way  of  obtaining  eternal  life.  But  will 
he  do  it  ?  Will  not  his  pride  rebel  against  this  humbling  and 
mortifying  plan  of  mercy  ?  Alas  !  many  are  constantly  doing 
so ;  and  publicans  and  harlots  rush  into  the  kingdom  of 
heaven,  while  they  shut  themselves  out  by  their  self-righteous- 
ness. As  the  wounded  Israelites  were  saved  by  simply  look- 
ing at  the  brazen  serpent  lifted  up,  so  all  sinners  are  to  be 
saved  by  a  look  of  faith  at  the  Lord  Jesus.  "  Look  unto  me 
and  be  ye  saved,  all  the  ends  of  ye  earth." 

In  the  case  of  the  Israelites  the  remedy  was  perfect.  When 
God's  direction  was  complied  with,  there  was  not  a  single  case 
of  failure.  Not  one  could  stand  up  and  say,  I  have  tried  the 
remedy ;  it  has  done  me  no  good  ;  I  must  die.  So  in  the  whole 
history  of  the  world  never  man  came  to  Jesus  by  faith,  and  was 
turned  away  unsaved.  None  can  say,  I  have  tried  the  blood 
of  Jesus ;  it  may  have  saved  others,  but  it  is  not  able  to  save 
me.  Nay,  in  every  case  the  remedy  has  been  immediate 
in  its  saving  power.  It  is  a  present  salvation.  If  there  is  any 
delay  it  is  on  the  part  of  the  sinner ;  for  with  God  noia  is  the 
acceptable  time.  The  remedy  is  divinely  certified  never  to 
fail.  It  is  not  like  those  human  nostrums,  certified  to  cure  the 
sick  and  the  dying,  and  that  for  a  moment  enkindle  hope  in 
the  bosom  of  despair,  only  to  cast  them  back  into  the  bitter 


MOSES    ON    MOUNT    SIANI.  15I 

anguish  of  hope  deferred.  No,  the  whole  countless  multitude 
of  the  redeemed  in  heaven  and  on  earth  unite  in  singing, 
"  Worthy  is  the  Lamb  that  was  slain ;  for  he  has  washed  us 
from  our  sins  in  his  own  blood." 

In  the  braz-n  serpent  lifted  up  we  see  the  necessity  of  faith 
in  the  work  of  salvation.  Men  looked  at  the  serpent,  believing 
what  God  said  as  to  its  curative  power.  Even  the  people  liv- 
ing under  that  dark  dispensation  knew  very  well  that  that  piece 
of  brass  was  only  a  type,  and  that  there  was  nothing  in  it  to 
save  them.  They  knew  that  the  principle  thing  was  faith  in 
the  true  word  of  God  regarding  it.  These  Hebrews  got  the 
healing  power  by  simply  doing  what  God  bid  them.  Suppose 
that  a  wounded  man  had  applied  some  of  his  own  remedies, 
having  more  faith  in  them  than  he  had  in  God's,  and  yet  to 
please  his  neighbors,  or  as  a  kind  of  experiment  of  his  own, 
would  go  out  and  look  at  the  brazen  serpent,  he  would  have 
received  no  good.  His  v/ant  of  faith  would  have  been  dishonor 
done  to  God. 

Faith  has  a  mighty  power  in  the  affairs  of  men.  It  binds 
families  and  nations  together.  Without  it  the  wheels  of  com- 
merce could  not  revolve  for  a  single  day.  Of  the  power  of 
faith  I  lately  met  with  the  following  illustration.  Admiral  Du- 
pont  was  telling  Admiral  Farragut  the  reason  why  he  failed  to 
enter  Charleston  harbor  with  his  splendid  fleet  of  ironclads. 
He  gave  first  one  reason,  then  another  and  another.  Farragut 
stood  silent  till  he  got  through,  and  then  said  :  "  Ah,  Dupont, 
there  was  one  more  reason."  "  What  was  that .?"  "  You  didn't 
le/ieve  you  could  do  it."  Now  if  faith  is  so  important  in  the 
affairs  of  men,  is  it  any  wonder  that  it  should  be  so  important 
when  God  speaks  to  his  creatures. 

Suppose  that  a  wounded  Israelite  had  given  as  a  reason  why 
he  should  not  look  at  the  brazen  serpent,  that  he  was  not  yet 
sick  enough,  that  he  did  not  yet  suffer  enough,  but  that 
by  and  by  v/hen  he  felt  in  greater  danger,  he  would  do  v/hat 
was  required.  Would  you  not  regard  this  as  exceedingly  absurd  ? 
And  yet  there  are  those  who  are  waiting  to  feel  themselves 
greater  sinners,  waiting  to  feel  deeper  convictions  before  they 


152  THE    WORLD  S    HOPE. 

come  to  Jesus.  My  reader,  you  know  that  you  are  a  sinner 
and  that  you  need  a  Savior ;  well,  that  is  enough.  Come  as 
you  are.  If  you  wait  for  anything  you  are  not  likely  to  come 
at  all.  Or  if  you  do,  it  will  be  after  wearing  your  life  out  in 
trying  human  plans,  that  only  being  increased  guilt  upon  your 
soul.  Let  me  urge  you  now  to  resolve,  that  turning  away  from 
every  false  way  you  will  at  once  go  to  Him  who  is  the  way,  the 
truth,  and  the  life. 

AVhen  a  wounded  Israelite  looked  at  the  brazen  serpent  he 
would  at  once  hww  that  he  was  cured.  He  would  not  say,  I 
hope  I  am,  but  I  have  often  many  doubts  and  fears.  Thus  the 
soul  that  comes  to  Christ  has  a  divine  certainty  given — an  un- 
clouded confidence  imparted  to  him.  And  yet  many  of  th& 
people  of  God  are  almost  afraid  to  take  that  comfort  from  the 
gospel  which  it  is  fitted  and  intended  to  give,  lest  they  should 
be  too  bold  and  manifest  a  lack  of  that  proper  humility  that 
becomes  a  sinner. 

Now  if  we  ourselves  had  anything  to  do  with  obtaining  this 
assurance,  then  we  might  well  have  doubts  about  it.  But  it  is 
not  so.  The  ground  of  our  confidence  is  entirely  independent 
of  anything  that  we  have  done  or  can  do.  It  depends  alone 
upon  the  sufficiency  of  Christ's  death  and  the  veracity  of  God's 
word.  My  certainty  of  being  accepted  is  made  to  turn  upon 
this  point,  did  Jesus  die  for  sinners  like  me,  and  is  God  speak- 
ing the  truth  when  he  says  I  can  be  forgiven  for  the  sake  of 
w^hat  he  has  done  }  Assurance  in  this  case  is  honoring  the 
faithfulness  of  God,  and  doubt  is  casting  discredit  upon  his 
veracity.  If  a  friend  comes  and  makes  a  statement  to  you, 
and  you  entertain  doubts  about  it,  you,  in  that  case,  dishonor  his 
credibility.  If  he  is  a  man  of  truth,  and  you  have  long  known 
him  as  such,  you  have  no  right  to  have  any  doubts  at  all.  So  it  is 
in  regard  to  our  assurance  of  salvation.  The  Apostle  John 
says,  "  If  we  receive  the  testimony  of  men,  the  testimony  of 
God  is  greater."  Jesus  always  referred  to  the  truth  of  what  he 
said  as  the  reason  why  he  expected  it  to  be  believed.  "If  I 
say  the  truth,  why  do  ye  not  believe  me  ?" 

Here  it  is  where  many  believers  make  a  great  mistake.    They 


MOSES   ON    MOUNT    SIANI.  153 

look  within  themselves  for  a  ground  of  assurance,  and  exam- 
ine their  own  feelings  and  experience,  to  find  a  rock  of  confi- 
dence on  which  to  build.  No  wojider  they  fail.  God's  true 
saying  concerning  his  Son  is  the  tiue  foundation  on  which  to 
rest ;  and  the  soul  that  does  so  shall  never  be  confounded. 
Paul  called  his  hearers  to  witness,  that  he  came  declaring  unto 
them  the  testimony  of  God.  Not  his  testimony,  not  his  feel- 
ings, nor  his  experience,  but  the  word  of  the  God  of  truth.  O 
surely  if  we  can  be  certain  of  anything,  it  must  be  what  rests 
upon  such  testimony ! 

An  infidel  had  got  a  woman  to  believe  his  pernicious  doc- 
trines. When  she  was  dying  he  said  to  her,  "  Hold  fast,  Mary." 
"I  can't  hold  fast,  for  you  have  given  me  nothing  to  hold  by." 
He  had  taught  her  to  doubt,  but  had  given  her  nothing  to  be- 
lieve. How  diff'erent  with  the  Christian  who  rests  upon  the 
truth  of  God.  He  can  look  death  and  judgment  in  the  face 
with  an  assurance  that  earth  and  hell  cannot  shake,  for  he 
knows  that  his  Divine  Master  can  not  deny  himself.  The 
strong  bulwark  of  salvation  behind  which  the  believer  stands 
was  built  by  Jehovah,  and  it  is  a  burning  shame  for  us  to  doubt 
our  security  while  standing  there. 

**  My  friend,  God  does  not  ask  thy  tears, 
Nor  aught  that  thou  canst  give  ; 
Thy  prayers  can  never  save  thy  soul, 
*Believe,'  and  thou  shalt  live. 

"  The  work  was  finish'd  long  ago, 
•  All  merit. set  aside, 

When  Jesus,  in  the  sinner's  stead, 
Upon  Mount  Calvary  died. 

*'  He  there  became  a  substitute, 

The  sinner's  debt  to  pay — 
He  brought  in  everlasting  life 

For  all  who  will  obey. 

"  And  Jesus  risen  from  the  dead 

Is  now  the  proof  to  thee, 
That  all  the  debt  was  fully  paid 

Upon  the  cursed  tree. 


154 


THE    WORLD  S    HOPE. 

'•  There's  nothing  left  for  you  to  give, 

Nothing  for  you  to  pay — 
If  you  but  trust  in  Jesus'  blood, 
You  may  be  saved  to-day. 

"  Saved,  if  you  simply  place  your  trust 

In  God's  beloved  Son, 
And  only  rest  your  faith  upon 

The  work  which  He  has  done. 

"  Thus  having  Christ  by  living  faith, ' 
You  stand  before  the  throne. 

In  all  His  perfect  spotlessness — 
His  righteousness  alone. 

"  Then  cease  from  all  thy  useless  toil, 

Thou  art  not  asked  to  give — 
God  tells  thee  Christ  has  paid  the  debt^ 
'•Believe,  and  thou  shalt  live' " 


MOSES    ON    MOUNT    PISGAH.  155 


CHAPTER  XL 
MOSES  ON  MOUNT  PISGAH. 

We  come  now  to  contemplate  Moses  in  the  closing  days  of 
his  life.  Properly  speaking,  a  good  man  never  dies.  His  char- 
acter is  brightened  by  the  years  that  roll  on,  lives  through  all 
time  and,  like  a  fixed  star,  shines  with  undiminished  luster. 
"  The  righteous  shall  be  had  in  everlasting  remembrance." 
Such  men  live  not  for  themselves,  but  for  others.  Their  lives 
are  a  complete  consecration  to  the  good  of  humanity.  Not  in 
dreamy,  selfish  ease  did  they  spend  their  days  on  earth,  but 
filled  with  the  love  of  God,  these  heroic  souls  labored  and 
suffered  and  died,  to  add  to  the  sum  total  of  human  happiness. 

Such  characters  triumph  over  death,  and  while  passing  away 
from  earth  leave  to  mankind  the  noblest  legacy — that  of  a  holy 
example.  It  is  not  wealth,  nor  distinguished  birth,  nor  brill- 
iant genius,  but  goodness  that  imparts  to  a  man  true  immor- 
tality. Men  say  that  such  a  man  is  dead,  but  his  usefulness 
lives  right  on.  He  may  be  laid  in  the  silent  grave,  but  his  holy 
acts  of  self-denying  zeal  defy  the  power  of  death  and  the 
grave  to  cast  over  them  the  pall  of  oblivion. 

How  strikingly  is  all  this  seen  in  the  case  of  Moses.  Here 
is  true  principle  and  Godlike  character  embodied  and  person- 
ified. We  now  see  him  closing  up  his  earthly  career.  Through 
countless  perils  and  trials  he  had  led  the  chosen  people  to  the 
very  borders  of  the  promised  land.  We  see  the  tents  of  the 
Israelites  stretching  away  over  hill  and  plain,  and  looking' pic- 
turesque and  beautiful  in  the  rays  of  the  morning  sun.  The 
face  of  nature  is  cahii  and  beautiful.  All  around  is  sweet  re- 
pose— a  holy  quiet.  On  the  morning  of  that  day  so  memorable, 
when  the  prophet  is  to  take  farewell  of  the  people  that  he  had 
loved  so  well,  and  for  whom  he  had  suffered  so  much  ;  we  see 


156  THE    world's    hope. 

the  people  gathering  together  from  every  quarter,  till  they 
stand  there  a  mighty  host.  Then  comes  the  farewell  address 
of  their  great  leader,  and  his  parting  benediction.  That  was 
a  solemn  moment  when  the  man  of  God  cast  his  eye  over  that 
vast  sea  of  faces  for  the  last  time.  He  remembered  the  past 
with  prophetic  power,  looked  into  the  future,  and  the  tenderest 
emotions  rushed  like  a  mighty  river  through  his  soul.  They 
are  met  for  the  last  time  on  earth,  and  he  speaks  to  them  in 
terms  the  most  fit  and  memorable.  It  is,  ineded,  a  wonderful 
address.  For  pious  fervor,  for  bold  imagery,  for  melting  ten- 
derness, for  faithfulness  of  rebuke,  and  for  the  impetuous  rush 
of  sweeping  and  majestic  eloquence,  it  casts  into  the  shade  the 
greatest  orators  of  Greece  and  Rome.  It  was  heaven-inspired. 
He  was  but  the  trumpet  through  which  the  voice  of  the  Lord 
sounded ;  and  with  what  thrilling  pathos  do  those  words  fall 
upon  our  ears,  "  O  that  they  were  wise,  that  they  understood 
this,  that  they  would  consider  their  latter  end  V* 

But  his  work  is  done,  and  well  done.  His  death-warrant  is 
signed,  and  the  decision  from  which  there  is  no  appeal  has 
gone  forth.  We  see  him  turn  away  from  the  weeping  multi- 
tude, and  with  eye  undimmed  and  vital  energy  still  strong 
within  him,  begin  to  ascend  the  mount  where  he  was  to  die.  He 
did  .not  look  like  a  dying  man,  for  his  physical  system  bore  no 
signs  of  decay.  His  Lord,  however,  Avanted  him  for  higher 
service,  and  to  fill  and  satisfy  his  soul  with  unspeakable  de- 
lights. What  a  lovely  sight,  to  see  that  hale  old  man,  wdth  such 
a  sweetly  composed  look  upon  his  face,  climbing  up  to  his 
grave.  Never  king  went  with  greater  alacrity  to  his  throne 
than  did  this  venerable  saint  of  God  to  meet  with  death.  At 
last  he  stands  upon  Pisgah's  summit  looking  on  the  magnificent 
scene  that  opens  before  him.  Every  object  is  bathed  in  light 
and  beauty,  and  his  soul  is  filled  with  delight  as  he  looks  at  last 
upon  the  fair  land  of  promise. 

Away  yonder,  in  the  distance,  flows  the  Jordan,  hastening 
to  empty  itself  into  the  Dead  Sea;  its  waters  flashing  and 
sparkling  in  rays  of  the  sun.  We  can  imagine  him  stand- 
ing on  some  gray  rock,  and  looking  with  intense  eagerness  upon 


MOSES    ON    MOUNT    PISGAH.  157 

a  land  that  for  forty  years  had  been  so  much  in  his  thoughts. 
Away  on  his  right  he  sees  the  snow  peaks  of  Mount  Lebanon, 
gleaming  like  a  huge  mass  of  crystal  in  heaven's  light.  There, 
too,  is  the  hill  of  Zion,  where  in  coming  years  the  beautiful 
temple  will  be  built,  and  multitudes  of  his  descendants  go  up 
to  worship  the  Lord  in  the  beauty  of  holiness.  When  he  turns 
and  looks  to  the  left,  some  spots  that  are  to  be  the  most  mem- 
orable on  earth  meet  his  views.  There  he  sees  Bethlehem, 
where  the  world's  Savior  is  to  be  born  ;  and  there  is  Mount 
Calvary,  where  he  is  to  die  in  untold  agony,  the  just  for  the 
unjust.  It  is  not  too  much  to  suppose  that  his  Lord  told  him 
of  those  places,  and  of  what  was  to  occur  upon  them ;  and  if 
so,  with  what  emotions  must  his  soul  have  been  filled ! 

But  suddenly  a  new  light  breaks  upon  him.  He  begins  to 
see  the  spiritual  instead  of  the  material,  eternal  things  in- 
stead of  temporal.  A  new  light  breaks  upon  his  astonished 
view ;  a  light  more  brilliant  than  anything  he  had  ever 
conceived  of  before;  and  in  comparison  with  which  the  sun 
in  his  brightness  would  look  like  a  dark  spot.  It  is  the 
light  of  glory,  the  brightness  of  his  future  hope.  He  has 
reached  the  pearly  gate  of  the  city  of  God.  Angels  open  and 
bid  him  welcome.  Abel,  Enoch,  Noah,  Abraham,  and  many 
others  of  whom  he  wrote,  press  forward  to  hail  his  entrance 
with  delight.  Peals  of  ravishing  music,  and  bursts  of  triumph- 
ant praise,  break  upon  his  ear.  O,  thrice  happy  soul !  Thy 
sorrows  are  ended,  thy  immortal  joys  are  begun,  never,  never 
to  end ! 

But  look  at  the  top  of  Pisgah  !  What  is  that  which  lies  upon 
the  old  gray  rock  ?  It  is  the  corpse  of  Moses.  The  immortal 
spirit  is  in  heaven,  and  that  is  only  the  tabernacle  of  clay.  We 
know  not  how  long  he  was  dying,  nor  what  were  the  last 
earthly  words  he  spoke  to  his  Lord.  No  human  friends  were 
with  him  in  his  last  moments ;  but  he  needed  them  not,  for 
"  beneath  him  were  the  everlasting  arms."  He  had  the  most 
magnificent  funeral  ever  given  to  mortal  man.  God,  himself, 
buried  him,  and  there  his  flesh  rests  in  hope  as  the  ages  roll 
away,  his  grave  unknown  to  mortals. 


158  THE    world's    hope. 

The  God  that  he  served  and  loved  so  well  took  care  of  his 
dust,  and  the  secret  of  his  resting-place  is  shut  up  in  the  Di- 
vine mind  till  the  morning  of  the  resurrection.  Many  a  trav- 
eler may  pass  over  the  sacred  spot  without  knowing  it.  There 
the  dust  of  the  man  of  God  reposes  undisturbed,  "  with  the 
thunder  of  the  passing  storm  as  his  only  dirge."  For  this  con- 
cealment Jehovah  had,  no  doubt,  good  reasons.  We  have  seen 
how  prone  these  Hebrews  were  to  idolatry;  and  had  they 
known  the  place  of  his  sepulcher  they  might  have  profaned  it 
in  such  a  way.  In  this  way  the  Lord  put  his  condemnation 
upon  all  superstition.  We  know  even  in  this  dispensation  of 
superior  light  and  knowledge,  what  a  traffic  has  been  kept  up  in 
the  bones  of  persons  called  saints,  and  what  pretended  miracles 
have  been  wrought  by  them.  Very  likely  the  bones  of  Moses 
would  have  been  preserved  and  carried  about  with  them.  To 
help  them  in  time  of  battle,  to  bring  them  rain  in  time  of 
drouth,  to  drive  av>'ay  pestilence  and  disease,  and  to  work  all 
kinds  of  charms,  these  bones  might  have  been  resorted  to.  But 
by  keeping  the  place  of  his  burial  secret  the  Lord  rendered 
this  forever  impossible. 

We  know  that  the  Israelites  were  liable  to  fall  into  such  su- 
perstitious practices  from  the  way  that  they  treated  the  brazen 
serpent  that  Moses  lifted  up  in  the  wilderness.  This  serpent, 
it  seems,  was  preserved,  and  in  the  days  of  Hezekiah  they  had 
begun  to  worship  it.  This  filled  that  good  man  with  a  holy 
indignation,  so  that  he  brake  it  in  pieces  that  this  temptation 
to  idolatry  might  be  forever  out  of  their  way. 

Christ  is  said  to  have  abolished  death ;  that  is,  he  has  dis- 
armed it  of  its  stings,  and  its  power  to  hurt  the  believer.  A 
new  life  reigns  in  the  renewed  soul  and  takes  possession  of  it 
forever.  The  earthly  tabernacle  is  subject  to  death  because  it 
has  in  it  the  seeds  of  decay ;  but  when  Jesus  rose  from  the 
grave,  death  was  swallowed  up  in  victory.  Just  as  sure  as  he 
lives,  we  shall  live  also,  in  the  whole  of  our  nature.  It  was 
not  one  part  of  our  nature  that  he  undertook  to  deliver  from 
the  effects  of  sin ;  but  the  perfected  work  shall  show  body  and 
soul  renewed  and  reigning  in  life  through  Jesus  Christ. 


MOSES    ON    MOUNT    PISGAH.  159 

With  such  a  sublime  confidence  in  the  soul,  no  wonder  that 
the  Christian's  death  is  one  of  triumph.  He  has  grasped  the 
grand  central  truth  of  Christianity ;  and  bigger,  and  better,  and 
brighter  than  all  earthly  joys  put  together  is  the  gladness  tha.t 
fills  his  whole  being.  God  has  always  kept  the  hope  of  a  res- 
urrection, less  or  more  distinctly,  before  the  world.  Hence, 
before  the  flood,  Enoch  was  translated  bodily  from  this  world 
to  be  with  God  ;  showing  that  our  bodies  were  capable  of  such 
changes  as  to  fit  them  to  live  in  heaven.  Then  after  the  flood, 
Elijah's  translation  testified  to  the  same  thing.  Then  our 
adorable  Redeemer  rose  from  the  dead  ;  and  thus  became  the 
first  fruits  of  them  that  slept.  As  the  great  type  of  our  human- 
ity, He  showed  that  the  resurrection  was  not  merely  a  thing 
possible  or  probable,  but  a  positive,  accomplished  fact.  The 
vast,  wide  dominions  of  death  heard  the  glad  tidings  that  came 
from  the  open  tomb  of  Jesus  ;  and  though  we  may  go  to  the 
graves  of  our  friends  to  weep  there,  it  is  not  with  the  sorrow  of 
the  infidel  or  of  the  heathen,  who  have  no  hope.  The  Savior 
himself  shall  descend  from  heaven  with  a  shout,  v/ith  the  voice 
of  the  archangel,  and  with  the  trump  of  God,  and  the  dead  in 
Christ  shall  rise  first.  Here  is  the  hope  of  Christ's  people— 
the  hope  of  the  new  creation.  There  our  perfected  humanity, 
made  like  unto  Christ's,  shall  start  upon  a  glorious  career  of 
immortal  bliss. 

It  is  called  eternal  life.  It  will  be  eternal  life  to  both  body 
and  soul.  All  the  promises  of  future  good  from  the  beginning 
of  the  creation,  are,  as  it  were,  condensed  into  these  words, 
eternallife.  All  that  the  soul  can  enjoy,  with  all  its  vast  capacity 
of  progression,  and  drawing  forever  from  the  unlimited  fullness 
of  God,  is  implied  in  the  words,  eternal  life.  When  millions  of 
ages  shall  have  passed  away,  it  will  still  be,  eternal  life.  Could 
we  add  together  the  age  of  our  world  to  that  of  all  the  stars, 
and  then  add  the  age  of  every  redeemed  soul  to  the  age  of 
every  angel  in  heaven,  we  would  have  a  period  so  vast  as  to 
confound  the  mind  ;  but  still  it  v/ould  be  as  nothing,  compared 
with  eternal  life.  When  all  these  years  would  have  passed  away, 
the  blood-bought  throng  would  still  be  singing :  "  The  gift  of 


l6o  """^   -  ~        THE    world's    hope. 

God  is  eternal  life!"  We  know  that  we  must  live  forever  in 
some  condition.  Everywhere,  the  vast  world  over,  men  feel 
that  they  have  an  immortal  part  within  them.  Savage  and  sage 
alike  believe  that  they  must  live  forever.  But  it  is  to  be 
remembered  that  there  is  such  a  thing  as  banishment  from  God  ; 
which  in  the  Bible  is  called  eternal  death.  It  is  only  the  soul 
that  has  been  taken  to  the  bosom  of  Divine  Love,  and  that  has 
heard  the  whisper  of  the  still,  small  voice,  saying,  "  I  give  unto 
them  eternal  life,  and  they  shall  never  perish."  Who  can  feel 
the  blessedness  of  a  heaven  begun  on  earth. 

"  The  men  of  grace  have  found 
Glory  begun  below  ; 
Celestial  faith,  on  earthly  ground, 
By  faith  and  hope  may  grow." 

It  is  the  privilege  of  all  believers  to  have  Pisgah  views  of 
heaven.  I  have  been  an  earnest  observer  at  the  death-beds  of 
many  Christians,  and  I  know  that  God  gives  special  grace  and 
support  for  that  trying  hour.  Clearer  light  illuminates  their 
minds.  V/ider  and  deeper  conceptions  of  the  fullness  of 
Christ,  fill  their  hearts  to  overflowing.  Consolation,  which  in 
its  sweetness  tells  of  its  divine  origin,  is  imparted  to  sustain  the 
soul,  as  it  stands  all  ready  for  its  mysterious  flight.  How  firm 
the  foot  is  placed  upon  the  Rock  of  Ages  !  How  strong  the 
courage,  how  noble  the  bearing  of  the  believer  in  that  hour ! 
What  a  sweet  calm — a  holy  stillness — we  have  seen  come  over 
him,  like  the  calm  of  the  going  down  of  the  summer  sun,  with 
a  golden  glory  all  around.  In  such  circumstances  we  have  seen 
the  looks  and  the  words  of  Christians  bear  an  aspect  almost 
unearthly.  They  will  often  tell  you  that  they  hear  angelic 
music.  "  Listen  !  Do  you  not  hear  it  }  O,  how  sweet !  how 
rapturous!"  Often  they  will  seem  astonished  when  told  that 
you  did  not  hear  anything.  Sometimes  they  speak  as  if  seeing 
angel  convoys.  "  See,  see  !  there  are  the  shining  ones  !  They 
have  come  for  me  !  O,  let  me  go  !"  And  they  reach  out  their 
cold  arms,  stiffening  in  death.  Now  I  have  no  doubt  that  they 
are  often  permitted  to  see  something  of  heaven,  before  going 
out  of  the  body  ;  and  that  the  soul  gets  so  spiritual  as  to  see 


MOSES    ON    MOUNT    PISGAH.  r6l 

around  it  its  future  companions.  "VVe  know  that  it  was  so  with 
Stephen  before  he  died,  even  when  the  stones  were  falling 
around  him  and  the  curses  of  his  enemies  were  in  his  dying 
ears.  Thus  God's  holy  ones  are  comforted.  The  loving  hand 
of  their  Savior  pulls  back  the  veil,  and  lets  them  get  a  glimpse 
of  their  fair  inheritance.  Let  worldly  men  call  this  fanaticism 
and  mere  rhapsody  if  they  please  ;  I  call  it  Pisgah  views,  given 
for  loving  purposes.  Child  of  God,  be  comforted  !  A  few 
more  struggles,  and  you  shall  be  in  the  calm  glory  of  your  Fa- 
ther's house.  A  few  more  trials,  and  you  shall  be  vv^ith  the 
unnumbered  multitude  of  the  glorified.  Your  crown  is  waiting 
for  you  ;  your  white  robe  all  fit  to  put  on. 

What  blessed  and  joyous  welcome  will  be  given  to  the  re- 
deemed, when  they  land  upon  the  shore  of  glory.  Pastor,  there 
are  spiritual  children  which  God  has  given  you,  waiting  to  give 
you  a  joyous  reception.  Mother,  there  are  your  loved  children, 
ready  to  join  you  in  eternal  songs  of  gratitude.  Believers, 
there  are  your  brethren  with  whom  you  took  sweet  counsel  on 
earth.  What  happy  prayer-meetings  you  used  to  have.  How 
pleasantly  you  labored  together  to  promote  the  Savior's  cause. 
They  have  got  to  heaven  before  you  ;  but  they  wait  and  watch 
for  your  coming.  They  hail  you,  as  it  were,  from  the  heavenly 
shore. 

"  E'en  now  by  faith  we  join  our  hands 
With  those  who  went  before, 
Those  great  and  blood-besprinkled  bands 
Upon  th'  eternal  shore." 

There  are  some  people,  even  here,  that  it  seems  like  a  little 
heaven  to  enjoy  their  society.  To  spend  an  evening  with  them 
refreshes  and  strengthens  us  by  the  way,  for  months  afterwards. 
Think,  then,  of  the  society  beyond  the  Jordan.  Think  of  hav- 
ing a  long  conversation  with  Enoch,  and  Moses,  and  Abraham  »* 
and  of  hearing  David  striking  his  heavenly  harp  to  thrilling  notes 
of  harmony.  Think  of  hearing  Milton,  no  longer  blind,  rolling 
out  his  deathless  numbers.  Think  of  hearing  and  seeing  the 
great  Reformers,  Luther,  and  Calvin,  and  Zwingle,  and  many 
others  of  whom  the  world  was  not  worthy.     If  that  man  is 


l62  THE    world's    HOPE. 

peculiarly  happy  who  enjoys  these  Pisgah  views  of  which  we 
have  spoken,  how  unspeakably  happy  must  he  be  who  is  in  full 
possession  of  the  promised  land. 

Moses  enjoyed  some  privileges  that  were  peculiar  to  himself; 
because  of  the  important  position  he  was  called  to  occupy.  But 
a  peaceful,  happy  death  was  not  one  of  these. .  That  is  the  priv- 
ilege of  all  God's  children.  "  Mark  the  perfect  man,  and 
behold  the  upright ;  for  the  end  of  that  man  is  peace."  Society 
may  be  convulsed  to  its  center ;  earthly  comforts  may  crumble 
to  ashes  in  the  grasp  ;  the  bright  lights  in  our  homes  may  go 
out  one  by  one  in  darkness  ;  but  peace  to  live  by  and  to  die  by, 
is  the  assured  inheritance  of  the  Christian.  With  Christ  for 
his  treasure,  with  heaven  for  his  home,  v/ith  precious  promises 
to  pillow  his  head  upon,  he  can  make  the  dark  valley  ring  with 
the  cry,  "  I  will  fear  no  evil  for  thou  art  with  me." 

When  I  have  spoken  about  these  Pisgah  glimpses,  I  do  not 
mean  that  any  new  thing  is  made  known  to  the  soul,  that  can- 
not be  found  in  the  Bible ;  no  new  revelation  is  given.  There 
are  times,  however,  in  the  experience  of  all  good  people,  when 
portions  of  the  Bible  are  so  illuminated  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  tha 
they  come  with  almost  the  force  and  the  power  of  a  nev/  reve- 
lation. Like  the  blind  man  whom  our  Lord  cured,  who  at  first 
saw  things  dimly,  men  like  trees  walking;  so  truths,  of  which 
we  had  but  a  dim  and  shadowy  view,  are  made  to  stand  out  in 
all  their  lovely  proportions.  So  is  it  with  these  Pisgah  views. 
We  have  a  deeper,  clearer  insight  into  the  deep  things  of  God. 
There  is  given  to  us  the  spiritual  mind,  and  hence  a  fuller  real- 
ization of  invisible  things  of  eternity.  The  things  that  are  seen 
and  temporal,  and  that  used  to  absorb  us  so  much,  have  lost 
their  power ;  and  the  soul  is  now  engrossed  v/ith  the  things  of 
the  world  to  come. 

As  the  christian  nears  the  eternal  world,  who  can  tell  how 
far  his  thoughts  may  be  carried  into  the  light  of  a  higher  reve- 
lation .of  God.  I  have  often  seen  christians  so  filled  v/ith  the 
love  of  God,  and  longing  so  intensely  for  his  presence,  that 
there  seemed  a  holy  impatience  for  the  gate  to  open  and  let 
them  go  to  their  Father.     I  have  visited  such  as  their  p^inister, 


MOSES    ON    MOUNT    PISGAH.  163 

but  not  as  their  instructor.  I  felt  that  the  secret  of  the  Lord 
was  with  them,  and  that  they  were  able  to  instruct  me.  I  might 
know  a  great  deal  more  about  theology  than  they  did  ;  but  for 
real  heartfelt  communion  with  God,  for  those  joys  in  religion 
that  words  are  too  poor  to  describe,  for  that  glory  bursting  upon 
their  view,  of  which  only  angel  language  could  tell,  I  felt  that 
my  proper  place  was  to  sit  at  their  feet  and  learn  as  a  little 
child.  I  have  watched  the  lamp  of  life  flickering  till  it  ex- 
pired; I  have  seen  the  dark  shadow  of  death  pass  over  the  face, 
brightened  by  flashes  of  glory,  and  I  have  cried  out,  "  Let  me 
die  the  death  of  the  righteous,  and  let  my  latter  end  be  like 
his." 

To  the  truly  spiritual  man  these  views  of  his  heavenly  home 
are  given  all  his  journey  through.  Moses  lived  in  daily  fellow- 
ship with  his  God,  and  was  thus  changed  from  glory  to  glory. 
The  truly  spiritually-minded  man  is  a  blessing  to  all  who  come 
in  contact  with  him.  If  you  go  to  his  house,  he  will  tell  you  of 
a  house  not  made  with  hands.  If  you  sit  at  his  hospitable 
table,  he  will  feed  you  with  the  bread  of  life.  If  you  do  busi- 
ness with  him,  he  will  seek  to  induce  you  to  buy  the  pearl  of  great 
price.  If  you  injure  him,  he  can  forgive  you  as  he  himself  has 
been  forgiven.  If  you  curse  him,  he  will  bless  you.  He  has  gone 
into  the  heavenly  country,  and  brought  us  a  bunch  of  the  heav- 
enly fruit,  to  increase  our  desire  for  more.  Such  a  man  is 
the  highest  type  of  our  humanity.  Even  in  old  age  he  brings 
forth  fruit  abundantly  for  God.  In  the  fall  of  the  year  you 
may  have  seen  the  withered  leaves  shining  like  gold,  because 
the  rays  of  the  sun  were  reflected  from  them ;  so  the  aged  saint 
reflects  back  upon  the  world  the  beams  of  the  sun  of  Righteous- 
ness. How  great  is  the  influence  of  such  a  life.  As  a  single 
atom  of  matter  cannot  be  put  in  motion  without  afi'ecting  the 
innumerable  other  atoms  that  compose  the  globe,  so  is  it  with 
human  character.  We  move  all  around  us  for  good  or  for  evil 
every  day  that  we  live.  How  important,  then,  that  we  should 
be  able  to  say,  "  For  me  to  live  is  Christ." 

We  conclude  the  history  of  Moses  v/ith  the  following  beau, 
tiful  lines : 


164  THE    world's    hope. 

By  Nebo's  lonely  mountain, 
On  this  side  Jordan's  wave, 

In  a  vale  in  the  land  of  Moab, 
There  lies  a  lonely  grave. 

•"  And  no  man  dug  the  sepulcher, 
And  no  man  gave  it  air, 
For  the  angels  of  God  upturned  the  SOd» 
And  laid  the  dead  man  there. 

•*  That  was  the  grandest  funeral 
That  ever  passed  on  earth, 
But  no  man  heard  the  tramping. 
Or  saw  the  train  go  forth. 

"  For,  without  sound  of  music, 
Or  voice  of  them  that  wept, 
Silently  down  from  the  mountain's  crowa 
The  great  procession  swept. 

**  Perchance,  the  bald  old  eagle, 
On  gray  Bethpeor's  height, 
Out  of  his  rocky  eyrie 

Looked  on  the  wondrous  sight. 

"Perchance,  the  lion,  stalking, 
Still  shuns  that  hallowed  spot, 
For  beast  and  bird  have  seen  and  heard 
That  which  man  knoweth  not. 

"  But  when  the  warrior  dieth, 
His  comrades  in  the  war, 
"With  arms  reversed,  and  muffled  drum, 
Follow  the  funeral  car. 

*'  They  show  the  banners  taken. 
They  tell  his  battles  won  ; 
And  after  him  lead  his  masterless  steed, 
While  peals  the  minute  gun. 

**  A^tetid  the  noblest  of  the  land, 
Men  lay  the  sage  to  rest. 
And  give  the  bard  an  honored  place, 
With  costly  marble  drest, 


MOSES    ON    MOUNT    PISGAH.  165 

'  In  the  great  Minster  transept, 

Where  lights  like  glories  fall, 
And  the  choir  sings,  and  the  organ  rings. 
Along  the  emblazoned  wall. 

**  This  was  the  bravest  warrior. 
That  ever  buckled  SAVord, 
This  the  most  gifted  poet 
That  ever  breathed  a  word. 

**  And  never  earth's  philosopher 
Traced  with  his  golden  pen, 
^n  the  deathless  page,  truths  half  so  sago 
As  he  wrote  down  for  men. 

•'And  had  he  not  high  honors? 
The  hillside  for  his  pall. 
To  lie  "in  state  while  angels  wait, 
With  stars  for  tapers  tall  ? 

"  And  the  dark  rock  pines  with  tossing  plumes. 
Over  his  bier  to  wave, 
And  God's  own  hand  in  that  mountain  land, 
To  lay  him  in  the  grave. 


**  In  that  deep  grave  without  a  name, 
Whence  his  uncoffmed  clay 
Shall  break  again — most  wondrous  thouglit- 
Before  the  judgment  day, 

*  And  stand  with  glory  wrapped  around 
On  the  hills  he  never  trod, 
And  speak  of  the  strife  that  won  our  life 
With  the  incarnate  Son  of  God. 

**  Oh,  lonely  tomb  in  Moab's  land  ! 
Oh,  dark  Bethpeor's  hill ! 
Speak  to  those  anxious  hearts  of  ours 
And  teach  them  to  be  still. 

••God  hath  his  mysteries  of  grace, 
Ways  that  we  cannot  tell  ; 
He  hides  them  deep,  like  the  secret  sleep 
Of  him  he  loved  so  well." 


i66  THE  world's  hope. 


CHAPTER  XII. 
JOSHUA,  THE  PIOUS  SOLDIER. 

Whether  it  is  right  for  a  religious  man  to  engage  in  war  has 
long  been  a  mooted  question  among  rood  people.  Without 
going  into  this  discussion  we  may  mention,  that  war  with  all 
its  attendant  horrors  has  been  permitted  by  God ;  and  very 
often  overruled  by  him  for  the  accomplishment  of  the  greatest 
good.  The  opening  China,  containing  one-third  of  the  world's 
population,  to  the  preaching  of  the  gospel  was  brought  about 
through  the  means  of  war.  The  overthrow  of  American 
slavery,  with  all  its  accompanying  abominations,  was  effected 
by  the  same  means.  These  are  recent  examples,  but  the  his- 
tory of  the  world  is  full  of  such  cases. 

It  is  also  worthy  of  our  notice,  that  some  of  the  best  of  men 
have  been  engaged  in  the  profession  of  arms  The  armies  of 
Cromwell  and  of  the  Scottish  Covenanters,  afford  examples  of 
the  deepest  piety,  and  show  that  religion,  so  far  from  unfitting 
for  the  duties  of  a  soldier,  impart  to  him  the  highest  courage. 
Col.  Gardiner  lived  very  near  God,  rising  early  when  the  army 
was  on  the  move,  in  order  to  have  time  for  prayer  and  reading 
the  Scripture.  Capt.  Headly  Vicars,  in  that  desperate  strug- 
gle before  Sevastopol,  was  acknowledged  by  his  superiors  to  be 
one  of  the  most  efficient  young  officers  in  the  army,  and  yet 
his  piety  was  of  the  highest  type,  and  his  zeal  for  the  salvation 
of  souls  unwavering. 

Gen.  Havelock  was  one  of  the  bravest  and  most  successful 
of  soldiers  in  modern  times ;  and  yet  one  of  the  most  consist- 
ent of  Christians.  I^ord  Harding  said  of  him,  ''  Havelock  is 
every  inch  a  soldier ;"  and  he  was  every  inch  a  Christian.  Once, 
when  some  military  emergency  had  arisen,  the  general  in  com- 
mand had  ordered  out  a  particular  corps,  but  was  told  that 


JOSHUA,  THE    PIOUS    SOLDIER.  167 

they  were  not  fit  to  take  the  post  of  danger,  because  they  were 
intoxicated.  Now,  mark  what  the  general  next  said  • — "  Call  out 
Havelock's  saints:  he  is  always  ready,  and  his  men  are  never 
drunk."  When  dying  he  said  to  his  son,  "Come,  my  son,  and 
see  how  a  Christian  man  can  die."  To  Sir  James  Outram,  who 
visited  him  on  his  death- bed,  he  said,  "  For  more  than  forty 
years  I  have  so  ruled  my  life  that  when  death  came  I  might 
face  it  without  fear." 

In  the  late  conflict  in  America,  what  noble  specimens  of  the 
Christian  soldier  were  presented  before  the  world.  Both  among 
the  officers  and  in  the  ranks  were  men  who  walked  with  God, 
and  were  equally  efhcient  as  soldiers  of  the  Republic  and  as 
soldiers  of  the  Cross.  Their  religious  convictions  led  them 
to  leave  their  comfortable  homes,  and  bid  farewell  to  loving 
friends,  to  encounter  hardships  and  perils,  the  very  recital  of 
which  makes  our  souls  shudder.  And  never  for  a  moment 
did  they  look  back  and  regret  their  choice.  Who  can  look 
upon  such  true  specimens  of  Christian  manhood  as  Gen. 
Mitchell  and  Gen.  Rice,  without  feeling  that  the  true  martyr 
spirit  still  lives  in  the  church  of  God.  The  latter,  just  before 
entering  the  battle  in  which  he  was  killed,  wrote  to  his  mother 
as  follows  :  "  My  entire  hope  is  in  the  cross  of  my  Savior.  In 
this  hope  I  am  always  happy.  I  trust  that  God  may  again 
graciously  spare  my  life,  as  He  has  in  the  past ;  and  yet  one 
cannot  fall  too  early  if,  loving  Christ,  he  dies  for  his  country." 
Thus,  from  those  high  in  rank  down  to  the  humblest  drummer- 
boy,  there  were  many  bright  trophies  of  the  power  of  Christ's 
gospel  to  save. 

We  have  been  led  into  these  remarks  because  we  are  now 
to  consider  the  character  of  Joshua,  a  brave  and  successful 
warrior,  and  as  pious  as  he  was  brave.  By  the  choice  of 
Moses  and  the  approval  of  Jehovah,  he  was  put  at  the  head 
of  the  Israelitish  people  and  had  a  responsibility  of  vast  mag- 
nitude laid  upon  him.  When  God  has  a  v/ork  to  do  he  is  never 
at  a  loss  for  an  instrument  to  accomplish  it.  There  is  no  man, 
hovv-ever  great,  who  is  absolutely  necessary  to  the  carrying  on 
©f  God's  work.     There  never  was  a  man  in  the  world  so  ne- 


i68  THE  world's  hope. 

cessary  that  the  world  could  not  do  without  him.  Moses  would 
seem  to  be  essential  to  the  very  existence  of  the  Jewish  nation, 
but  even  he  can  be  spared.  He  is  dead,  but  the  designs  of 
the  Almighty  go  on  as  if  he  had  never  lived.  This  thought 
may  be  very  humbling  and  mortifying  to  the  self-importance 
of  some  people.  The  popular  minister  may  think  himself 
necessary  to  the  prosperity,  if  not  to  the  existence,  of  the 
church  over  which  he  presides.  Some  of  his  inj-udiciou-s 
friends  have  told  him  so  again  and  again ;  and  in  so  doing 
spoke  the  honest  feelings  of  their  hearts.  But  he  is  removed, 
and  the  work  goes  on  as  if  nothing  had  happened.  For  some 
time  the  face  that  used  to  look  down  upon  them  from  the  pulpit  is 
kindly  remembered  and  honest  regrets  are  expressed  that  the 
voice  they  loved  to  hear  so  well  will  be  heard  by  them  no  more  ; 
but  soon  all  this  will  cease,  and  things  will  move  on  as  if  he 
had  never  been.  And  all  this  is  right  enough.  Death  is  not 
to  be  permitted  to  strike  with  paralysis  the  whole  frame-work  of 
society.  When  one  falls  in  the  ranks  of  the  Lord's  army,  the 
Captain  of  our  salvation  has  another  just  as  good  to  take  his 
place.  The  great  fight  of  faith  must  not  stop,  for  God  can 
raise  up,  out  of  the  very  stones,  children  to  Abraham. 

Joshua  displayed  the  boldness  and  conscientiousness  of  his 
character  during  the  life  of  Moses.  On  reaching  the  borders 
of  the  land  of  Canaan,  twelve  persons  were  selected  from  the 
different  tribes,  whose  duty  it  was  to  explore  the  country  and 
bring  back  correct  information  as  to  its  inhabitants,  its  natural 
productions  and  the  strength  of  its  fortifications.  Dividing 
themselves  into  companies,  they  went  forth,  passing  quietly 
through  the  land  and  obtaining  what  information  they  could. 
Ten  of  these  spies  came  back  with  a  most  doleful  report. 
Taking  counsel  of  their  own  fears,  they  represented,  with  the 
wildest  exaggeration,  the  people  as  very  numerous,  their  cities 
as  strongly  fortified,  and  the  utter  impossibility  of  ever  con- 
quering such  a  people.  They  acknowledged,  indeed,  that  the 
land  v/as  all  it  had  been  represented  for  fertility,  and  even 
brought  specimens  of  its  fruitfulness.  But,  upon  the  whole, 
their  report  was  so  discouraging  as  to  create  a  panic  of  fear,  so 


JOSHUA,  THE    PIOUS    SOLDIER.  169 

that  the  voice  of  weeping  was  heard  all  over  the  camp.  Now, 
Joshua  and  Caleb  had  been  among  the  number  of  spies,  and 
presented  quite  a  different  report.  They  denounced  the 
report  of  the  others  as  incorrect,  and  as  the  result  of  coward- 
ice. They  said,  "  The  land  which  we  passed  through  to  search 
it,  is  an  exceeding  good  land.  If  the  Lord  delight  in  us,  then 
he  will  bring  us  into  this  land  and  give  it  us ;  a  land  which 
floweth  with  milk  and  honey.  Only  rebel  not  ye  against  the 
Lord,  neither  fear  ye  the  people  of  the  land,  for  they  are  bread 
to  us  ;  their  defence  is  departed  from  them,  and  the  Lord  is 
with  us ;  fear  them  not."  This  showed  that  Joshua  was  a  man 
of  the  right  spirit  for  the  enterprise  for  which  he  was  now 
called.  It  is  true,  a  formidable  work  lay  before  him ;  but  he 
had  a  most  sustaining  promise  from  the  mouth  of  Jehovah 
himself:  "  There  shall  not  any  man  be  able  to  stand  before 
thee  all  the  days  of  thy  life ;  as  I  was  with  Moses,  so  I  will  be 
with  thee;  I  will  not  fail  thee,  nor  forsake  thee." 

Along  with  the  assurance  of  the  Divine  presence  came  a 
solemn  injunction  to  make  the  law  of  God  his  constant  study; 
yea,  to  meditate  upon  it  by  day  and  by  night.  He  had  a  great 
work  before  him,  and  the  requisite  wisdom  for  its  accomplish- 
ment could  only  be  obtained  from  the  statutes  of  the  Lord. 
That  great  man,  Judge  Hale,  used  to  spend  a  portion  of  each 
morning  in  the  study  of  the  Scriptures,  however  much  engaged 
he  might  be.  He  tells  us  that  if  this  was  omitted  nothing 
seemed  to  go  right  with  him  all  day.  That  distinguished 
writer.  Sir  William  Jones,  wrote  on  the  blank  leaf  of  his  Bible 
the  following  beautiful  sentiment:  "I  have  regularly  and 
attentively  perused  these  Holy  Scriptures,  and  am  of  opinion 
that  this  volume,  independently  of  its  Divine  origin,  contains 
more  true  sublimity,  more  exquisite  beauty,  more  pure  morality, 
more  important  history,  and  finer  strains  of  poetry  and  elo- 
quence, than  can  be  collected  from  all  other  books,  in  whatever 
age  or  language  they  may  have  been  written."  Count  Oxen- 
stein,  Chancellor  of  Sweden,  said  to  one  who  visited  him,  "  All 
the  comfort  I  have,  and  all  the  comfort  I  take,  and  which  is 
more  than  the  whole  world  can  give,  is  the  knowledge  of  God's 


lyo  THE    WORLD  S    HOPE. 

love  in  my  heart,  and  the  reading  of  this  blessed  Book,"  laying 
his  hand  on  the  Bible.  "You  are  now,"  he  continued,  ''in  the 
prime  of  your  age  and  vigor,  and  in  great  favor  and  business ; 
but  this  will  all  leave  you,  and  you  will  one  day  better  under- 
stand and  relish  what  I  say  to  you.  Then  you  will  find  that 
there  is  more  wisdom,  truth,  comfort,  and  pleasure,  in  retiring 
and  turning  your  heart  from  the  world,  in  the  good  spirit  of 
God,  and  in  reading  his  sacred  word,  than  in  all  the  courts  and 
favors  of  princes."  The  celebrated  John  Locke,  we  are  told, 
spent  the  last  fourteen  years  of  his  life  in  the  study  of  the 
Bible;  and  speaking  of  it  to  a  young  friend,  he  said,  "It  has 
God  for  its  author,  salvation  for  its  end,  and  truth,  without  any 
mixture  of  error,  for  its  matter." 

Joshua  now  began  to  make  all  needed  preparation  for  cross- 
ing the  Jordan,  and  taking  possession  of  the  promised  land. 
He  has  the  Divine  promise  to  sustain  him ;  but  he  does  not 
make  that  an  excuse  for  omitting  the  use  of  all  proper  means 
of  accomplishing  his  object.  He  proceeds  as  if  all  depended 
upon  himself;  and  yet  relied  upon  God,  as  if  he  could  do 
nothing.  This  is  the  true  spirit,  which  all  workers  in  Christ's 
vineyard  should  cultivate.  Let  them  work  as  hard  as  if  all  suc- 
cess depended  upon  their  doing  so ;  and  yet,  by  prayer  and 
faith  in  God,  show  that  in  him  is  their  dependence. 

Joshua  sent  out  two  confidential  persons  to  visit  Jericho,  to 
find  out  something  as  to  its  population,  its  resources,  and  the 
strength  of  its  fortification.  It  was  the  frontier  city  of  Canaan, 
and  was  inhabited  by  a  very  wicked  and  degraded  people. 
There  was,  however,  one  person  in  that  city  whose  heart  was 
moved  by  the  fear  of  the  Lord.  This  was  a  woman  of  tarnished 
reputation,  but  who  had  ceased  from  her  wicked  ways,  and  re- 
ceived the  spies  into  her  house  with  peace.  She  protected 
them  from  the  police  "by  hiding  them  in  a  secure  place,  and 
saved  their  lives  by  assisting  their  escape.  She  showed  her 
faith  in  God  by  saying,  "  I  know  that  the  Lord  hath  given  you 
the  land."  She  begged  them  to  promise  her  that  when  the 
city  was  taken,  her  life  and  the  life  of  her  kindred  would  be 
preserved.     The  promise  was  given,  and  the  sign  of  protection 


JOSHUA,  THE    PIOUS    SOLDIER.  17I 

for  her  and  her  kindred  was  to  be  the  scarlet  line  by  which  she 
let  them  down  over  the  wall  of  the  city,  being  hung  up  in  the 
window.  Now  that  this  woman,  once  an  abandoned  character, 
became  a  really  good  woman,  is  evident  from  the  Apostle  Paul 
placing  her  in  the  ranks  of  the  worthies  that  he  mentions  in  his 
epistle  to  the  Hebrews  :  "  By  faith  the  harlot  Rahab  perished 
not  with  them  that  believed  not,  when  she  had  received  the 
spies  with  peace." 

Thus  we  see  that  God  is  indeed  no  respecter  of  persons  ;  but 
that  individuals  of  every  condition,  of  every  phase  of  human 
life,  are  received  by  him  through  repentance  and  faith.  There 
is  not  a  depth  of  degradation,  not  a  sink  of  human  pollution, 
from  which  God  cannot  lift  the  sinful  soul,  and  make  it  a  bright 
gem  in  his  crown  forever. 

"  God  scatters  truths  on  eveiy  side, 
Freely  among  his  children  all ; 
And  always  hearts  are  lying  open  wide, 
Wherein  some  grains  may  fall. 

*'  There  is  no  wind  but  soweth  seed 
Of  a  more  true  and  open  life, 
"Which  burst,  unlooked-for,  into  high-souled  deed, 
With  way-side  beauty  rife." 

In  regard  to  this  woman's  faith,  notice  how  implicit  her  con- 
fidence in  the  promise  of  the  spies.  She  does  not  seem  to 
doubt  them  for  a  moment.  Sin  is  always  suspicious,  and  sin- 
ners are  always  distrustful  of  each  other.  She  had  faith  in  the 
word  of  the  good  men  that  God  sent  to  her  dwelling ;  and,  as 
the  Apostle  James  says,  "  Her  faith  brought  forth  works."  She 
entertains  them  at  the  risk  of  her  own  life,  hides  them  from  their 
persecutors,  refuses  to  betray  them,  and  acknowledges  the 
power  of  the  God  of  Israel.  And  how  much  her  faith  was  hon- 
ored. Honorable  mention  is  made  of  her  by  two  inspired 
apostles.  From  a  child  of  wrath  she  is  lifted  up  to  be  a  child 
of  God  ;  and  from  being  a  citizen  of  a  vile  heathen  city,  she  is 
taken  to  the  heavenly  Jerusalem,  the  city  of  the  Great  King. 

When  the  hour  of  trial  came,  this  woman's  faith  did  not  dis- 
appoint her.    She  was  not  confounded.    The  city  is  surrounded 


172  THE    WORLD  S    HOPE. 

by  the  invincible  hosts  of  Israel,  but  she  has  no  fear.  The  day 
of  doom  has  at  last  come  for  that  accursed  city.  She  and  her 
kindred  are  sitting  quietly  at  her  home,  when  the  shrill  and 
penetrating  sound  of  the  trumpets  of  Israel  is  heard  coming 
nearer  and  nearer.  The  avenging  army  is  about  to  descend 
upon  that  city  already  given  over  to  destruction.  Does  Rahab 
turn  pale  and  tremble  ?  No,  she  looks  to  the  scarlet  line  in 
the  window,  and  feels  secure.  A  terrible  shout  is  heard,  as  if 
smiting  against  the  very  heavens.  Hark !  there  is  a  fearful 
crash !  The  wall  of  the  city  has  fallen,  and  as  a  roaring  flood 
comes  rushing  on,  when  the  embankment,  which  for  a  time 
restrained  it,  has  broken  down,  so  the  triumphant  and  con- 
quering hosts  rush  into  the  city.  Does  this  woman  join  in  the 
wild  scream  of  despair  that  is  going  up  from  so  many  voices.'* 
No,  she  has  only  to  look  at  the  scarlet  line  in  the  window.  The 
army  are  now  rushing  through  the  streets,  each  with  a  sword  in 
his  hand,  dripping  with  the  blood  of  the  slain.  The  M^ork  of 
destruction  goes  on  apace.  Torrents  of  blood  run  down  the 
streets  like  water.  The  death-cry  is  heard  every  moment  break- 
ing upon  the  air.  But  this  believing  woman  looks  to  the  scarlet 
line  in  the  window,  and  feels  calm  as  if  in  the  heart  of  a  forest. 
Many  a  man  of  war,  with  bloody  weapon  in  hand,  comes  to  that 
house,  but  he  looks  up  and  sees  the  scarlet  line  in  the  window, 
and  passes  on.  But  hark !  there  come  footsteps  approaching 
the  house — they  enter  the  door — they  are  coming  up  the  stairs. 
Has  the  scarlet  line  failed  to  do  its  work  ?  Has  Rahab 's  faith, 
after  all,  been  in  vain  ?  Has  she  fallen  at  last  into  the  hand  of 
the  destroyer  ?  No,  no ;  it  is  only  messengers  come  from  Joshua 
— the  very  men  whose  lives  she  had  saved,  to  bring  her  and 
all  her  kindred  out  of  the  city,  before  it  is  committed  to  the 
devouring  flames.  The  scarlet  line  /las  done  its  work.  She 
and  those  dear  to  her  are  safe  out  of  that  doomed  place. 
Turning  to  look  behind  her,  she  sees  great  billows  of  fire  rolling 
over  Jericho  and  great  tongues  of  flame  leaping  up  as  if  to  the 
very  heavens.  Her  faith  has  triumphed  and  placed  her  beyond 
the  reach  of  harm. 

May  not  this  scarlet  line,  under  which  this  household  found 


JOSHUA,    7HE    PIOUS    SOLDIER.  173 

protection,  be  taken  as  a  type  of  the  blood  of  Jesus  ?  The 
safety  of  that  house  did  not  depend  upon  strong  preparations 
made  to  keep  out  the  men  of  war.  It  was  not  by  putting 
strong  bolts  upon  their  doors,  or  fortifications  round  their 
dwelling,  that  their  safety  was  secured  ;  it  was  by  simply  placing 
the  scarlet  line  in  the  window.  So  our  salvation  is  not  secur- 
ed by  any  act  of  our  own,  by  any  preparation  that  we  may 
make  to  save  us  from  the  wrath  to  come  ;  we  are  saved,  if  saved 
at  all,  by  faith  in  the  blood  of  Jesus. 

The  peace  of  that  household,  amid  the  destruction  all 
around  them,  did  not  depend  upon  their  own  feelings  or  do- 
ings. They  did  not  need  to  sit  up  all  night  keeping  watch  ; 
nor  was  it  necessary  to  be  constantly  looking  within  to  exam- 
ine the  state  of  their  own  feelings.  Their  safety  depended 
upon  one  thing,  the  scarlet  line  in  the  window.  Suppose  that 
they  had  taken  it  from  the  window  and  hung  it  on  the  door ; 
or,  supposing  they  had  held  it  in  their  hands  for  greater  secu- 
rity ;  they  would  doubtless  have  perished.  So  we  can  only  be 
saved  by  acting  strictly  in  accordance  with  God's  way,  that  is, 
faith  in  the  blood  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  Faith  in  that  blood  will 
give  peace  and  assurance  forever.  Amid  the  swellings  of  Jor- 
dan, and  the  terrific  scene  of  judgment,  we  will  fear  no  evil ; 
for  who  can  lay  anything  to  the  charge  of  those  whom  God 
justifies  for  the  sake  of  his  Son. 

But  we  must  hasten  on  with  the  history  of  Joshua.  The  Jor- 
dan is  past,  its  waters  miraculously  opening  to  let  them  pass 
through  with  the  ark  of  the  Lord.  While  Joshua  was  exam- 
ining the  fortifications  of  Jericho  a  wonderful  personage  ap- 
peared before  him,  with  a  drawn  sword  in  his  hand.  He 
boldly  went  up  to  this  person  and  demanded  whether  he  was 
for  them  or  for  their  enemies.  The  answer  was,  "  Nay,  but  as 
the  Captain  of  the  Lord's  host  am  I  come."  Joshua  at  once 
understood  who  this  was ;  and  instantly  bowed  down  and  wor- 
shiped him.  For  this  act  he  received  no  rebuke,  which  he 
would  have  received  had  it  been  any  mere  creature  that  he 
worshiped.  No  doubt  this  was  the  angel  of  the  covenant, 
who  had  on  so  many  occasions  appeared  to  his   fathers ;  who 


174  '  THE    WORLDS    HOPE. 

had  so  often  conversed  with  Moses,  and  had  now  come  to  put 
them  in  possession  of  the  promised  land.  It  was  doubtless  the 
J.ord  j  esus  in  whose  presence  he  stood,  and  who,  instead  of 
rebuking  him  for  his  worship,  requested  him,  as  he  did  Moses 
at  Horeb,  to  take  his  shoes  off  his  feet  because  he  stood  upon 
holy  ground. 

The  faith  of  Joshua  was  seen  in  following  implicitly  the  di- 
rections of  God  in  regard  to  the  way  of  taking  Jericho.  He 
did  not  ask,  as  unbelief  would  have  done,  what  connection 
then  could  be  between  the  blowing  of  Rams'  horns  and  the 
tumbling  down  of  stone  walls.  He  promptly  did  what  he  was 
bid,  without  setting  up  his  own  petty  reasons  or  following  the 
plans  of  other  people,  and  the  result  was  most  triumphant. 
The  city  was  taken,  and  its  very  existence  blotted  out  of  the 
record  of  the  cities  of  the  earth.  Where  can  we  find  a  more 
lovely  spectacle  than  that  of  a  man  whose  own  will  is  swallow- 
ed up  in  the  will  of  the  all-wise  Creator.  His  peace  flows  like 
a  river,  because  whatever  God  does  is  pleasing  to  him.  With 
such  a  man,  the  good,  and  perfect,  and  holy  will  of  God  is  his 
delight  day  and  night.  To  do  that  will  is  his  meat  and  his 
drink ;  and  with  all  hotiesty  of  heart  he  can  say,  "  Not  my  will, 
but  thine  be  done." 

At  this  time  a  circumstance  occurred  that  showed  the  strict 
principles  of  justice  upon  which  Joshua  acted,  and  the  disas- 
trous effect  which  the  conduct  of  one  man  may  have  upon 
the  cause  of  truth.  During  the  siege  of  Jericho  a  strict  com- 
mand was  given  to  the  people  not  to  take  any  part  of  the  spoils 
of  that  city,  which  was  to  be  regarded  as  accursed  and  doomed 
to  destruction.  Regardless  of  this  command,  Achan,  a  person 
of  rank  and  influence,  stole  and  concealed  a  quantity  of  the 
spoils.  This  act  was  unknown  to  any  one  but  himself,  and  he 
soothed  his  conscience  with  the  hope  that  he  would  escape  de- 
tection. Shortly  after  this,  Joshua  sent  out  three  thousand  of 
his  men  of  war  to  fight  Ai ;  but  God  was  not  with  them,  as 
formerly,  to  give  victory  to  their  arms.  They  met  with  a  ter- 
rible repulse,  and  fled  in  terror  before  their  enemy.  This  had 
a,  most  depressing  effect  upon  the  people,  and  filled  the  heart 


JOSHUA,    THE    PIOUS    SOLDIER.  ijc 

of  their  general  with  the  deepest  anguish.  We  are  told  that 
he  "rent  his  clothes,  and  fell  to  the  earth  upon  his  face  before 
the  ark  of  the  Lord  until  the  evening  tide,  he  and  the  elders 
of  Israel,  and  put  dust  upon  their  heads."  He  presented  the 
matter  before  the  Lord  in  earnest  prayer.  The  reply  was, 
"There  is  an  accursed  thing  in  the  midst  of  thee,  O  Israel;" 
and  he  was  directed  to  find  out  the  guilty  man  and  bring  him 
to  punishment. 

Meantime  Achan  was  rejoicing  in  his  ill-gotten  gain.  It  is 
true,  he  could  not  wear  the  beautiful  stolen  garments,  but  he 
could  take  them  out  and  look  at  them  in  the  privacy  of  his 
own  tent ;  and  he  could  feast  his  greedy  eyes  upon  the  silver 
and  the  gold.  But  his  false  security  is  soon  broken  in  upon. 
God's  word  to  the  sinner  is,  "  Be  sure  your  sins  will  find  you 
out."  This  is  acknowledged,  on  all  hands,  to  be  an  uncertain 
world ;  but  here  is  one  thing  that  we  may  be  certain  of,  that 
sin  will  find  out  the  sinner  and  expose  him  before  men  and 
angels.  Achan  hears  that  an  investigation  is  about  to  be  made. 
This  makes  him  very  uneasy  ;  but  still  he  puts  a  brave  face 
upon  the  matter,  perhaps  is  very  loud  in  denouncing  the  crime, 
and  in  asserting  his  innocence.  The  people  are  all  assembled 
before  the  Lord ;  but  in  such  a  large  crowd  he  feels  compara- 
tively secure.  The  criminal  is  to  be  detected  by  the  casting  of 
lots.  The  first  lot  is  cast,  and  the  tribe  of  Judah  was  taken. 
His  heart  throbs  strongly  now,  for  that  is  the  tribe  to  which  he 
belongs.  The  lot  is  again  cast,  and  the  family  of  the  Zerhiter 
is  taken.  Ah  !  his  face  is  now  pale  with  fright,  and  his  knees 
smite  against  each  other;  for  he  belonged  to  that  family.  He 
feels  that  vengeance,  like  a  blood-hound  true  to  the  scent, 
is  upon  his  track.  The  lot  is  again  cast,  and  falls  upon  him- 
self. Miserable  man !  There  he  stands  pointed  out  by  the 
finger  of  God  as  the  guilty  man,  and  as  the  cause  of  all  the 
trouble  that  had  befallen  his  brethren. 

Had  this  man  been  asked,  when  he  put  forth  his  hand  to  do 
this  wickedness,  if  he  wished  to  bring  defeat  and  death  into 
the  camp  of  Israel,  he  would  have  spurned  the  thought. 
But    he  went  on  to  gratify   his    own   covetousness  and  thus 


176  THE    world's    hope. 

turned  the  sword  of  the  enemy  against  his  friends.  It  is 
thus^with  inconsistent  members  of  the  church  Of  Christ.  Ask 
them  if  they  intend  to  bring  ruin  upon  the  church,  to  grieve 
their  brethren  and  ahiiost  break  the  heart  of  their  pastor,  and 
they  would  repel  with  indignation  such  a  charge.  And  yet 
they  are  really  doing  it. 

The  progress  of  sin  is  seen  in  the  case  of  Achan.  There 
was,  in  the  first  place,  an  undue  familiarity  with  things  forbid- 
den. He  looked  at  these  spoils,  turning  them  over  and  over 
till  he  began  to  covet  them.  The  eye  is  a  great  inlet  to  the 
soul,  and  the  only  true  safety  is  to  act  as  David  did,  "  turn 
away  the  eyes  from  beholding  vanity."  The  next  step 
in  his  sin  was,  that  he  coveted  these  things,  and  thus  the  evil 
had  already  become  intrenched  in  his  heart.  Many  think  that 
if  the  sin  is  confined  to  the  heart  there  is  little  harm  done ; 
but  that  is  the  very  place  upon  which  God's  eye  is  fixed.  The 
Christian  finds  it  easy  to  keep  his  mere  outward  actions  right ; 
but  his  heart  gives  him  great  trouble.  He  mourns  over  its 
wanderings  as  did  David  and  Paul,  and  says,  "  How  long  shall 
vain  thoughts  dwell  within  me."  As  the  least  spark  of  fire,  if 
encouraged,  would  burn  a  whole  city,  so  evil  indulged  in  the 
heart  will  break  out  in  open  and  disgraceful  acts  of  sin.  So 
was  it  with  Achan.  His  next  step  was  to  put  forth  his  hand 
and  steal  the  accursed  thing.  Let  the  devil  get  a  strong  desire 
for  sin  lodged  in  the  heart,  and  then  the  very  first  favorable 
opportunity,  when  there  is  little  chance  of  detection  and  ex- 
posure, the  open  act  will  be  committed.  "Lust,  when  it 
hath  conceived,  bringeth  forth  sin." 

We  see  in  Achan 's  case  that  no  man  can  live  to  himself. 
Shame,  defeat  and  death  were  all  brought  upon  the  people  of 
Israel  by  this  man's  conduct.  That  protection  that  covered 
their  heads  in  the  day  of  battle  was  withdrawn.  Their  heav- 
enly friend  said,  "  I  will  not  be  with  you  any  more,  unless  ye 
put  away  the  accursed  thing."  This  wicked  man  was  more  to 
be  feared  than  all  their  enemies.  If  you  could  find  out  the 
wickedest  man  in  a  nation,  that  would  bp  the  greatest  enemy 
which  that  nation  has  ;  and  yet  you  might  find  him  very  boast- 


JOSHUA,  THE    PIOUS    SOLDIER.  177 

ful  of  his  patriotism,  while  his  sin  was  bringing  down  upon  the 
land  the  curse  of  God.  Thus  the  enemy  that  the  church  of 
God  has  to  fear  is,  not  the  infidel  or  the  bold  blasphemer,  but 
the  inconsistent  member.  These  are  they  that  keep  back  the 
blessing  of  the  Most  High,  and  bring  up  a  reproach  upon  the 
cause  of  truth  that  cannot  easily  be  wiped  away. 

What  anguish  of  heart  sinners  cause  to  good  men.  See 
Joshua  lying  upon  his  face  upon  the  ground,  pouring  out  the 
deep  anguish  of  his  soul  before  the  Lord.  Listen  to  David 
and  Jeremiah  pouring  out  the  wail  of  their  sorrowful  souls 
because  of  the  wickedness  around  them.  Sinner !  how  it  adds 
to  your  guilt  that  a  praying  father  has  wept  in  bitterness  of 
soul  over  you.  Did  it  not  add  to  the  guilt  of  Jerusalem  that 
the  gracious  Savior  wept  over  her  .''  Ah  !  yes,  these  tears  will 
rise  up  with  condemning  power  in  the  day  of  judgment. 

Let  us  learn  from  Achan's  case  never  to  undervalue  the 
power  of  temptation.  At  the  very  time  we  may  think  our- 
selves most  secure  we  may  be  in  greatest  danger  of  a  fall. 
You  can  meet  no  temptation  in  your  own  strength  ;  for,  if  you 
have  no  better  armor  than  that,  the  feeblest  arrow  that  Satan 
aims  will  pierce  you  through  and  through.  Peter  was  never 
more  in  danger  than  when  he  boasted  how  firmly  he  stood. 

We  may  learn,  from  the  example  of  Joshua,  that  a  good  man 
may  be  putting  prayer  in  the  place  of  some  other  duty.  He 
was  lying  upon  his  face  before  the  ark,  praying,  when  God  said 
unto  him,  "  Get  thee  up ;  wherefore  liest  thou  thus  upon  thy 
face  ?"  Prayer  can  only  succeed  when  we  are  using  all  the 
means  within  our  reach.  We  must  search  out  every  idol,  seek 
to  mortify  every  sin,  and  maintain  the  purity  of  the  church  of 
Christ,  else  our  prayers  will  be  hindered  and  the  work  of  God 
cease  to  advance. 

We  come  now  to  consider  a  most  striking  evidence  of 
Joshua's  faith  and  power  in  prayer.  The  Gibeonites,  witness- 
ing the  powers  of  the  army  of  Israel,  and  greatly  alarmed  for 
their  own  safety,  sent  to  the  general  a  deputation,  representing 
that  they  came  from  a  great  distance,  and  requesting  the  privi- 
lege  of  forming   an    alliance   with   his   people.     After  some 


178  THE    world's    hope. 

inquiries  the  heads  of  Israel  gave  their  consent  to  this,  and  the 
treaty  was  consummated.  But  when  it  was  discovered  that  these 
Gibeonites  were  neighbors,  the  people  of  Israel  were  dissatisfied 
with  what  their  leaders  had  done  and  wished  the  treaty  to  be 
annulled.  This  Joshua  refused  to  do,  considering  that  it  would 
be  a  violation  of  public  faith.  The  rest  of  the  Canaanites  be- 
came enraged  at  Gibeon,  as  having  acted  the  part  of  an  apos- 
tate nation,  and  joined  to  make  war  against  it.  Joshua  felt  in 
honor  bound  to  protect  and  defend  his  allies,  and  the  result 
was,  a  great  battle  was  fought,  in  which  his  arms  were  victo- 
rious. 

It  was  on  this  occasion  that  a  great  miracle  was  wrought  in 
answer  to  prayer.  God  arrested  the  sun  in  the  heavens  in 
order  that  a  total  defeat  of  his  enemies  might  be  effected. 
Much  difficulty  and  many  perplexities  have  been  raised  regard- 
ing this  miracle.  The  fact,  however  is.  Divinely  authenticated 
by  the  word  of  truth ;  and  as  to  the  way  in  which  it  was  done, 
that  was  God's  matter,  with  which  we  have  nothing  to  do. 
Surely,  no  one  will  say  that  anything  is  too  hard  for  God.  He 
has  laws  that  govern  in  the  works  of  creation,  but  these  laws 
do  not  govern  Him.  He  has  not  enslaved  himself  by  his  own 
laws  so  that  he  cannot  hear  the  prayer  of  his  own  people  and 
work  miracles  for  their  deliverance  if  he  deems  it  proper.  Men 
talk  about  fixed  laws  as  if  even  God  himself  could  not  break 
them.  This  is  surely  setting  up  the  laws  of  nature  above  the 
Creator  himself.  As  the  maker  of  a  watch  can  stop  it  when 
he  pleases,  putting  it  back  or  forward  at  pleasure  ;  so  the  Maker 
of  all  things  still  holds  the  entire  control  of  the  great  fabric  of 
creation  that  came  from  his  own  hands. 

We  may  not  follow  Joshua  through  all  those  wars  by  which  the 
land  of  promise  was  at  last  put  in  full  possession  of  Israel.  Infi- 
dels have  made  an  outcry  against  Joshua  as  a  blood-thirsty  man, 
and  destitute  of  all  humanity,  because  of  the  way  he  treated 
the  Canaanites.  But  it  should  be  remembered  that  they  were 
destroyed  by  the  direct  command  of  God,  and  that  the  terri- 
ble judgments  that  came  upon  them  were  caused  by  their 
wickedness,  which  made  them  ripe  for  devouring  vengeance. 


JOSHUA,  THE    PIOUS    SOLDIER.  I79 

Divine  mercy  and  patience,  that  had  been  so  long  with  them, 
now  retired  from  the  field  and  left  justice  to  do  its  vengeful 
work.  God  sent  the  same  judgments  upon  the  Jews  on  ac- 
count of  their  sins,  at  a  subsequent  period  of  their  history, 
when  Jerusalem  was  taken  by  the  Romans  and  her  people 
caused  to  pass  through  sufferings,the  bare  recital  of  which  makes 
our  blood  run  cold.  But  those  infidels  that  denounce  Joshua 
have  not  a  word  to  say  against  Titus  on  account  of  his  cruelty. 

When  the  whole  land  was  conquered,  Joshua  made  a  wise 
division  of  it  among  the  different  tribes.  He  kept  nothing 
for  his  own  family,  but  the  people  gave  him  Timnath-serah, 
where  the  rest  of  his  life  was  spent  in  inward  and  outward 
peace.  With  the  approval  of  God,  with  an  inward  conscious- 
ness of  having  done  his  duty,  and  with  the  love  and  gratitude 
of  the  whole  nation,  his  days  glided  peacefully  on.  He  lived 
one  hundred  and  ten  years,  and  when  he  died  was  carried  to 
the  grove,  amid  great  manifestations  of  sorrow  by  the  whole 
people  for  whom  he  had  done  so  much. 

When  this  great  and  good  man  was  near  eternity,  and  with 
the  hallowed  influence  of  coming  glory  upon  his  mind,  he 
gathered  the  people  together  to  give  them  his  parting  address. 
He  enters  upon  a  solemn  review  of  all  the  Lord  had  done  for 
them  in  the  past,  for  the  double  purpose  of  exciting  within 
their  minds  gratitude  for  what  they  had  received,  and  trust  for 
the  future.  A  review  of  the  past  is  very  profitable,  if  it  is 
done  in  the  right  spirit.  We  can  then  look  upon  our  sins  and 
short-comings  after  the  excitement  and  passion  that  accom- 
panied them  have  passed  away  ;  and  are  humbled  in  the  very 
dust  on  account  of  them.  We  see  the  hand  of  God  in  so 
marked  a  manner,  leading  us  in  the  right  way  and  by  the  best 
means,  though  we  did  not  think  so  at  the  time  ;  and  we  see 
his  wisdom  overruling  our  very  faults  for  our  good. 

Joshua  goes  on,  in  a  most  earnest  manner,  to  warn  them 
against  the  idolatry  around  them.  They  must  not  have  any 
intimacy  with  idolaters,  must  not  intermarry  with  them,  nor  in 
any  way  put  themselves  into  danger  of  falling  into  their 
abominations.     We   are  to  shun  the  very  appearance  of  evil. 


l8o  THE    world's    hope. 

To  dabble  around  the  edges  of  sin  is  the  surest  way  to  be  en- 
gulfed in  destruction.  He  warns  them  of  the  terrible  deso- 
lation that  would  come  upon  them  if  they  departed  from  the 
living  God  ;  and  that  as  he  had  been  faithful  to  his  promises, 
they  would  find  him  equally  true  in  his  threatening.  His  ad- 
dress reminds  us  of  the  words  of  Paul,  "  Knowing  the  terrors 
of  the  Lord,  we  persuade  men." 

The  Lord  prolonged  the  life  of  his  servant  so  that  he  was 
able  to  deliver  a  second  address.  This  he  did  at  Shechem,  a 
place  of  blessed  memories.  This  was  the  place  where  Abra- 
ham settled  on  his  coming  to  Canaan,  and  where  God  ap- 
peared to  him  with  words  of  comforting  promise.  Near  it 
stood  the  mounts  Gerizim  and  Ebal,  where  the  people  renewed 
their  covenant  upon  their  coming  into  the  land.  The  spot 
selected  then  was  calculated  to  remind  them  of  two  things, 
God's  promise  to  them,  and  their  promise  to  God.  Joshua 
goes  into  a  history  of  Jehovah's  dealings  with  them,  and  then 
makes  a  pointed  appeal  to  them  to  serve  the  Lord  in  sincerity 
and  truth.  He  brings  his  remarks  to  a  close  with  the  solemn 
appeal,  "  Choose  you  this  day  whom  ye  will  serve."  The  peo- 
ple, as  with  one  voice,  pledged  themselves  to  serve  the  Lord ; 
and  in  memory  of  the  event  a  great  stone  was  set  up,  Joshua 
uttering  the  solemn  words,  "  This  stone  shall  be  a  witness  un- 
to us.' 

We  see  the  people,  with  tears  in  their  eyes,  turn  away  to 
their  several  homes,  while  the  venerable  servant  of  the  Lord 
goes  to  his  home  to  die.  Of  his  death-bed,  or  the  words  he 
uttered  there,  we  know  nothing.  No  doubt  his  end  was  peace- 
ful as  the  going  down  of  the  summer  sun.  Of  the  blessed- 
ness of  his  admission  into  the  heavenly  Canaan,  his  meeting 
with  Moses  with  whom  he  had  enjoyed  such  sweet  intercourse 
on  earth  and,  above  all,  his  enjoyment  in  the  presence  of  the 
Lord,  whom  he  had  loved  and  served  so  faithfully,  we  can 
form  but  a  faint  conception.  His  faith  had  ended  in  sight, 
and  his  expectation  in  full  enjoyment. 

Thus  the  redeemed  of  the  Lord  are  brought  safely  and 
surely  to  their  fair  inheritance.     The  Captain  of  cwir  salvation, 


JOSHUA,  THE    PIOUS    SOLDIER.  iSl 

of  whom  Joshua  was  a  type,  is  leading  his  people  through 
many  conflicts,  only  to  bring  them  off  more  than  conquerors. 
And  when  the  last  redeemed  soul  shall  be  gathered  from  earth 
and  led  into  the  heavenly  glory,  what  a  jubilee  of  rejoicing 
there  will  be  in  that  sinless  congregation.  It  will  then  be  seen 
that  not  one  of  all  the  promises  have  failed,  and  rising  and 
swelling  into  a  rapturous  song,  their  hearts  will  be  poured  out 
in  the  words,  "  Our  Jesus  has  done  all  things  well." 

"  Midst  crosses,  Faith  her  triumph  knows  ; 
The  palm-tree  pressed  more  vigorous  grows  ; 

Go  tread  the  grasses  'neath  thy  feet — 
The  stream  that  flows  is  full  and  sweet ; 

In  troubles,  virtues  grow  and  shine, 
Like  pearls  beneath  the  ocean  brine. 

"  Crosses  abound  :  love  seeks  the  skies  ; 
Blow  the  rough  winds,  the  flames  arise  ; 

When  hopeless  gloom  the  welkin  shrouds, 
The  sun  comes  laughing  through  the  clouds; 

The  cross  makes  pure  aff'ection  glow, 
Like  oil  that  on  the  fire  we  throw. 

*'  Who  wears  the  cross  prays  oft  and  well ; 
Bruised  herbs  send  forth  the  sweetest  smeL  . 

Were  ships  ne'er  tossed  by  stormy  winds, 
The  Pole-star  who  would  care  to  find  ? 

Had  David  spent  no  darksome  hours, 
His  sweetest  songs  had  ne'er  been  ours. 

"  From  trouble  springs  the  longing  hope  \ 
From  the  deep  vale  we  mount  the  slope  ; 

Who  treads  the  desert's  dreariest  way, 
For  Canaan  most  will  long  and  pray  ; 

Here  finds  the  trembling  dove  no  rest, 
Flies  to  the  ark,  and  builds  his  nest." 


l82  THE    world's    HOPE. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 
JOB,  THE  PATIENT  SUFFERER. 

Sin  and  sorrow  are  insei^arable  companions.  Ours  is  a 
Weeping  world  because  it  is  a  sinful  world.  We  cannot  pass 
through  it  without  experiencing  affliction,  less  or  more.  And 
those  afflictions  become  to  us  a  blessip.3  or  a  curse,  according 
to  the  use  we  make  of  them.  They  Must,  in  the  very  nature 
of  things,  either  harden  or  soften  our  hearts.  We  will  come 
out  of  the  furnace  either  purified  like  gold^  or  blackened  and 
hardened  by  the  process  through  which  we  have  passed.  Un- 
der the  chastening  hand  of  God  we  will  learn  to  say  with 
David,  "  It  is  good  for  me  that  I  have  been  afflicted ;  "or  else 
we  will  say  in  the  hardened  spirit  of  Cain,  "  My  punishment  is 
greater  than  I  can  bear." 

Some,  under  the  losses  and  crosses  of  life,  render  themselves 
and  all  around  them  miserable,  by  bitter  and  unavailing  com- 
plaints. Others  sit  down  under  their  trouble  with  an  attempt 
at  stoical  indiff"erence,  submitting  to  the  lashes  of  something 
they  call  fate.  Others,  taught  by  a  false  philosophy,  try  to  find 
comfort  to  themselves  and  to  impart  comfort  to  others  by  say- 
ing, ''  We  must  just  submit  to  what  can't  be  helped."  None  of 
these  are  the  Christian's  methods  of  finding  comfort  in  trouble. 
In  the  story  of  Job's  life  we  may  learn  how  to  bear  the  loss  of 
friends,  health,  riches  and  honors,  in  a  spirit  at  once  rational 
and  pleasing  to  God. 

There  are  some  who  would  take  away  Job  from  the  list  of 
Scripture  characters  altogether.  They  deny  him  a  real  exist- 
ence, turning  the  history  which  we  have  of  him  into  a  parable 
or  allegory ;  but  this  finds  no  warrant  in  the  Bible.  Job  is 
mentioned  in  other  parts  of  the  Scriptures,  and  his  name 
connected  with  persons  who  are  acknowledged  to  be  real  char- 


JOB,  THE    PATIENT    SUFFERER.  183 

acters.  For  example,  in  the  fourteenth  chapter  of  Ezekiel, 
Moab,  Daniel  and  Job  are  spoken  of  together.  Men  might  as 
well  attempt  to  make  Abraham,  Noah,  or  Daniel,  a  mere  crea- 
ture of  fancy,  as  Job.  The  Apostle  James  makes  direct  allu- 
sion to  him  in  the  fifth  chapter  of  his  epistle  :  "  Ye  have  heard 
of  the  patience  of  Job,  and  have  seen  the  end  of  the  Lord ; 
that  the  Lord  is  very  pitiful."  This  is  spoken  as  of  a  real 
character ;  and  it  seems  absurd  to  think  that  the  Holy  Spirit 
would  hold  up  an  imaginary  person  as  an  example  and  model 
to  Christians  in  all  after  ages. 

There  has  been  a  great  deal  of  learned  discussion  as  to  the 
authorship  of  the  Book  of  Job.  The  most  general  opinion  is 
that  it  was  written  by  Moses  during  his  long  and  lonely  so- 
journ in  Midian.  That  it  is  very  ancient,  is  evident  from  the 
fact  that  there  is  no  reference  to  the  deliverance  of  Israel  from 
the  bondage  of  Egypt ;  nor  to  the  many  wonderful  events 
attending  their  journey  to  the  promised  land.  Except  the 
book,  of  Genesis  it  is,  in  all  probability,  the  most  ancient  book 
in  the  world.  On  this  subject  Gilfillan  says  :  "  The  book  of 
Job  shows  a  mind  smit  with  a  passion  for  nature  in  her  sim- 
plest, most  solitary  and  elementary  forms — gazing  perpetually 
at  the  great  shapes  of  the  material  universe  and  reproducing  to 
us  the  infinite  wonder  with  which  the  first  inhabitants  of  the 
world  must  have  seen  their  first  sunrise,  their  first  thunder- 
storm, their  first  moon  waning;  their  first  midnight  heaven 
expanding  like  an  arch  of  triumph  over  their  happy  heads. 
One  object  of  the  book  is  to  prophecy  of  nature — to  declare 
its  testimony  to  the  Most  High— to  unite  the  leaves  of  its 
trees,  the  wings  of  its  fowls,  the  eyes  of  its  stars,  in  one  act  of 
adoration  to  Jehovah.  August  undertaking,  and  meet  for  one 
raised  in  the  desert,  anointed  with  the  dew  of  heaven,  and 
by  God  himself  inspired." 

Job  is  brought  before  us  a  man  great  and  distinguished ; 
the  greatest  of  all  the  men  of  the  East,  we  are  told.  There 
are  many  kinds  of  greatness  according  to  the  estimate  of 
different  persons  as  to  v/hat  constitutes  it.  Some  think  that 
the   possession    of  great  wealth    alone   constitutes  greatness,- 


184  THE    world's    hope. 

Others  that  distinguished  birth  and  hereditary  titles  confer 
greatness ;  while  still  others  consider  genius  alone  as  impart- 
ing greatness.  Job  had  a  kind  of  greatness  above  all  these; 
it  was  the  greatness  of  true  goodness.  He  was  high  in  rank, 
according  to  the  idea  of  his  times,  being  patriarch  of  his  tribe. 
He  had  also  great  wealth,  and  extensive  possessions.  That  he 
was  a  great  man  intellectually  is  also  clear  from  the  high  poetic 
beauty  of  his  utterances,  the  power  of  his  imagination  and  the 
clear  logic  of  his  arguments.  But  he  was  great  in  a  better  and 
higher  sense  ;  for  we  are  told  that  he  was  "  perfect  and  upright, 
one  that  feared  God  and  eschewed  evil."  Of  course,  we  are 
not  to  understand  the  word  perfect  here  as  meaning  that  he 
was  sinless,  for  he  repeatedly  acknowledged  himself  a  sinner. 
It  means  that  he  was  perfectly  sincere  and  free  from  guile.  A 
sinless  perfection,  so  far  as  the  creature  is  concerned,  is  not  to 
be  found  on  earth ;  for  "  all  have  sinned  and  come  short  of  the 
glory  of  God."  Any  claim  of  that  kind,  set  up  by  fallen  man, 
can  only  spring  from  pride  and  self-righteousness. 

But  there  is  a  sense  in  which  every  believer  is  perfect  before 
God — a  sense  in  which  he  is  without  sin.  He  is  perfectly  jus- 
tified for  Jesus'  sake.  He  is  complete  in  Christ.  There  is  not 
one  sin  left  unpardoned,  not  one  guilty  act  left  unatoned  for, 
and  not  one  dark  spot  that  the  blood  of  Jesus  cannot  wash 
away.  So  that,  in  the  sense  of  being  perfectly  justified  from 
all  things,  the  believer  is  perfect.  Paul  brings  this  out  in  the 
tenth  chapter  of  Hebrews :  "  By  one  offering  Christ  has  per- 
fected forever  them  that  are  sanctified."  In  this  sense  Job 
was  perfect.  Through  the  blood  of  sacrifice  he  looked  away 
to  Calvary  and  was  justified  through  faith  in  a  Savior  to  come. 
There  has  been  but  one  way  of  salvation  in  every  age,  and 
that  way  he  knew ;  for  he  said,  "  I  know  that  my  Redeemer 
liveth." 

Job  comes  before  us  as  a  highly  prosperous  man  ;  as  one 
who  seems  to  have  all  that  heart  can  wish.  He  lives  in  a  com- 
fortable home,  has  every  necessary  within  his  reach,  has  power 
and  authority  among  his  fellows,  is  highly  popular  among  all 
ranks  and  conditions  of  society,  being  reverenced,  as  we  are 


JOB,  THE    PATIENT    SUFFERER.  185 

told,  "  By  the  young  and  old,  by  nobles  and  by  princes."  Be- 
sides all  this,  he  had  grown  up  around  him  healthy  and  loving 
children  ;  and  better  than  all,  and  above  all,  he  had  the  appro- 
val of  God,  filling  his  soul  with  a  foretaste  of  heaven. 

Now,  that  he  stood  firm  for  God  and  duty  in  the  midst  of 
all  this,  speaks  highly  for  the  spirituality  of  his  mind.  How 
many  in  the  midst  of  prosperity  forget  God.  How  many  in 
the  midst  of  power  become  vain  and  arrogant.  How  many  who, 
when  their  bodily  wants  are  all  supplied,  forget  the  wants  of 
their  immortal  souls.  Not  so  with  this  good  man.  The 
tendency  of  riches  is  to  harden  the  heart,  and  to  make  us  for- 
get the  suff'erings  of  others.  Being  successful  in  all  our  own 
undertakings,  we  are  apt  to  blame  those  who  are  not  so,  as  the 
victims  of  their  own  folly.  Hence,  we  are  ready  to  think  that 
poverty  and  crime  are  inseparably  united. 

But  Job  felt  in  regard  to  his  wealth,  that  he  was  only  a 
steward  of  his  Lord's  bounties,  an  almoner  of  the  blessings  of 
heaven  to  the  poor.  And  he  gave  with  a  kind  and  loving 
spirit.  He  did  not,  by  a  haughty  and  tyrannical  manner,  hurt 
the  feelings  of  those  whose  wants  he  relieved.  He  did  not 
wound  the  spirit  while  he  fed  the  body.  He  showed  deep 
sympathy  in  all  his  intercourse  with  the  afilicted.  His  own 
words  are,  "  Did  I  not  weep  for  him  that  was  in  trouble  ? 
Was  not  my  soul  grieved  for  the  poor?"  In  regard  to  such  a 
man,  we  rejoice  in  his  prosperity,  we  are  pleased  when  his 
riches  increase  ;  for  his  good  is  the  good  of  all.  He  gives  as 
he  gets,  and  the  more  he  receives  the  more  blessed  are  those 
around  him. 

Now,  when  the  bolts  of  adversity  suddenly  strike  such  a 
man,  we  are  taken  by  surprise.  Like  thunder  roll^g  out  of  a 
clear  sky,  it  startled  us  by  its  unexpectedness.  And  not  only 
so,  but  we  are  puzzled  and  perplexed  by  such  a  thing  being 
permitted  under  the  government  of  a  good  God.  The  fre- 
quent afflictions  of  good  men,  and  the  temporary  prosperity 
of  the  wicked,  have  led  to  dark  and  unhappy  reflections  ill  the 
minds  of  those  who  felt  themselves  confronted  with  this  mys- 
tery.    Among  the  Jews  the  idea  seemed  to  have  been  quite 


i86  THE  world's  hope. 

general,  that  great  afflictions  were  an  evidence  of  great  sins,* 
and  this  error  our  Lord  frequently  rebuked  during  his  minis- 
try upon  earth.  Job's  friends  could  not  but  acknowledge 
that  his  outward  conduct  was  correct,  and  therefore,  they 
came  to  the  conclusion  that  there  must  have  been  dark,  hidden 
hypocrisy  to  account  for  so  much  suffering.  Even  our  Lord's 
disciples,  who  ought  to  have  known  better,  pointed  to  a  poor 
blind  man  and  asked,  "  Who  did  sin,  this  man  or  his  parents, 
that  he  is  born  blind  ?"  Under  the  superior  light  of  the  gos- 
pel we  know  that  afflictions  are  an  evidence  of  God's  love 
rather  than  of  his  displeasure.  They  are  sent  to  accomplish 
the  very  highest  good  ;  and  are  often  effectual  when  all  other 
means  have  failed.  But  under  a  dark  dispensation  this  was 
not  so  clearly  seen ;  and  the  book  of  Job  would  be  of  great 
service  in  clearing  up  this  mystery,  and  vindicating  the  ways 
of  God  to  man. 

We  should  remember  that  this  book  is  thrown  into  a  poetic 
form,  and  that  the  different  scenes  presented  are  highly  figura- 
tive and  dramatic.  The  writer  suddenly  takes  us  to  the  court 
of  heaven,  on  a  day  when  the  ministering  angels  are  assembled 
before  God,  giving  an  account  of  their  missions  of  love.  W^e 
are  made  to  see  these  holy  ones  standing  reverently  before 
Jehovah,  when  Satan  also  presents  himself.  He  is  asked 
whence  he  came,  and  to  his  significant  answer  we  should  all 
give  heed.  "  From  going  to  and  fro  in  the  earth,  and  from 
walking  up  and  down  in  it."  This  accords  with  what  an 
inspired  writer  says  of  him,  that  he  goes  about  like  a  roaring 
lion,  seeking  whom  he  may  devour.  The  Lord  is  then  repre- 
sented as  speaking  in  high  terms  of  Job  ;  to  which  the  dark, 
scowling  fiend  replied,  "Does  Job  serve  God  for  naught .''" 
This  question  implied  that  he  considered  all  Job's  piety  as 
selfishness ;  that  he  served  God,  because  he  was  well  paid  for 
it ;  and  because  constant  blessings  and  favors  were  showered 
upon  his  pathway.  Let  these  only  be  removed,  let  his 
religion  cease  to  pay^  and  instead  of  worshiping  God,  Satan 
insisted  that  he  would  curse  him  to  his  face. 

We  have  here  a  most  striking  illustration  of  the  union  of  sin 


JOB,  THE    PATIENT    SUFFERER.  187 

and  selfishness.  Satan  is  the  most  selfish  being  in  the  whole 
universe,  because  he  is  the  most  sinful.  Now,  when  any  being 
becomes  thoroughly  selfish  he  cannot  believe  in  the  existence 
of  disinterestedness.  Unbelief  shuts  up  the  soul  in  thick 
darkness,  and  there  is  no  faith  in  either  God  or  man.  The  idea 
that  any  one  would  give  anything  for  nothing,  he  regards  as  one 
only  to  be  laughed  at.  You  need  not  tell  him ;  he  knows  bet- 
ter ;  he  knows  what  human  nature  is  ;  and  is  not  to  be  en- 
trapped by  fine  spun  theories  of  benevolence  and  disinterested- 
ness. 

But  the  meaning  of  all  this  talk  about  knowing  human  na- 
ture, is  simply  that  he  knows  a  little  of  his  own  nature.  He 
knows  that  he  would  not  give  something  for  nothing.  He 
knows  that  there  is  no  disinterestedness  about  him ;  and  as 
water  cannot  rise  above  its  own  level,  in  his  conception  of 
others  he  cannot  rise  higher  than  himself.  Let  a  minister 
show  great  zeal  for  the  salvation  of  souls,  and  sinners  will  tell 
you  that  he  does  it  to  increase  the  membership  of  his  church, 
and  consequently  to  add  to  his  own  salary.  I  know  a  minister 
who,  feeling  deeply  for  perishing  souls,  went  out  into  the 
streets,  hoping  to  save  some  who  never  go  to  the  house  of  God. 
An  editor  published  in  his  paper  that  this  was  done  to  fill  up 
his  church  and  increase  his  pay ;  when  the  fact  was,  that  at 
that  very  time  his  church  was  crowded  to  the  door,  every  pew 
rented,  and  more  constantly  being  asked  for.  In  a  city  where 
I  resided  several  of  the  lady  members  of  the  church  went  out 
into  the  lowest  haunts  of  poverty  and  crime,  carrying  food 
and  clothing  to  the  starving  wretches  that  pined  and  shivered 
in  these  filthy  dens.  These  poor  creatures  would  often  ask 
the  ladies  what  salary  they  got  fordoing  this;  finding  it  im- 
possible to  believe  that  any  one  would  go  through  all  this  toil 
and  exposure  and  danger  for  nothing.  When  told  that  it  was 
all  done  from  love  to  Jesus,  and  love  to  them  as  his  creatures, 
they  stared  in  absolute  astonishment.  Some  shook  their  heads 
and  looked  incredulous.  There  was  no  room  in  their  selfish 
souls  for  such  a  grand  conception.  Like  their  master,  the 
Devil,  they  had  no  faith. 


i88  THE  world's  hope. 

Take  another  illustration.  The  young  people  connected 
with  my  church  commenced  a  mission  school  in  one  of  the 
most  wicked  parts  of  the  city.  It  did,  indeed,  seem  a  forlorn 
hope  to  attempt  doing  any  good  there.  The  young  people, 
however,  were  full  of  the  love  of  Christ,  and  of  love  to  souls, 
and  went  from  house  to  house  inviting  the  children  in.  At  the 
appointed  hour  there  was  a  good  attendance.  I  noticed  two 
little  boys,  dirty  and  ragged,  enter,  and  casting  a  suspicious 
look  around  them,  take  a  seat  near  the  door.  One  of  them  laid 
his  hat  upon  the  end  of  a  bench.  It  was  dirty,  greasy,  and 
torn,  and  certainly  not  worth  a  cent ;  but  no  sooner  had  he 
laid  it  down  than  his  companion,  giving  him  a  dig  in  his  ribs 
with  his  elbow,  exclaimed,  "  Bill,  pick  up  your  hat ;  they  II  hook 
ity  Poor  child!  he  had  lived  in  such  scenes  of  crime  and 
selfishness,  had  been  so  accustomed  to  hatred  and  suspicion, 
that  he  firmly  believed  that  we  had  been  to  all  that  pains  of 
furnishing  a  school-house  and  inviting  him  in,  only  to  hook  his 
old  hat. 

The  more  men  are  like  Satan,  that  is,  the  more  wicked  they 
are,  the  harder  it  is  to  get  them  to  believe  in  God's  disinterested 
love.  Even  when  conscience  lashes  them  into  an  attempt  to 
come  back  to  their  Maker,  their  first  thought  is  that  they  must 
pay  something  for  their  pardon.  They  bring,  in  some  way,  a 
price  in  their  hand.  This  is  the  reason  that  those  forms  of 
religion  that  permit  the  sinner  to  pay  something  for  his  salva- 
tion are  so  popular.  The  good  news  of  the  gospel,  that  God 
pardons  freely,  without  money  and  without  price,  they  find  it 
hard  to  receive.  There  seems  no  room  in  their  minds 
for  such  a  glorious  view  of  God,  they  are  so  filled  and  narrowed 
up  with  sin  and  selfishness. 

We  learn  from  the  history  of  Job  that  Satan  has  no  indepen- 
dent power  to  injure  God's  people.  He  could  do  nothing 
without  permission,  and  all  that  he  did  do  was  overruled  for 
the  increase  of  the  faith  and  purity  of  him  whom  he  attacked. 
With  all  his  boasted  knowledge  of  human  nature,  he  was  com- 
pletely defeated.  His  cunning  devices  were  all  foiled.  The 
reason  is,  that  the  same  Lord  that  permitted  Job  to  be  tried 


JOB,  THE    PATIENT    SUFFERER.  l8g 

sustained  him  by  his  mighty  power  in  the  trial.  If  the  powers 
of  darkness  were  permitted  to  sift  Peter,  the  Great  Advocate 
was  praying  for  him  at  the  same  time,  that  his  faith  might  not 
fail. 

The  blow  has  at  last  fallen,  and  that,  too,  at  a  time  when  it 
would  be  felt  most  severely,  on  one  of  the  joyful  days  of  his 
life.  There  was  a  family  festival  at  the  house  of  his  oldest  son. 
They  were  a  cheerful,  happy,  united  family;  joy  beamed  in 
every  face  and  flashed  from  every  eye.  No  unhappy  jealousies 
no  unlovely  bickerings,  disturbed  the  harmony  of  the  occasion. 
It  was  a  sight  to  gladden  a  father's  heart,  and  even  to  arrest 
the  pleased  attention  of  a  passing  angel.  "  Behold  how  good 
and  how  pleasant  it  is  for  brethren  to  dwell  together  in  unity." 

There  are  some  things  that  are  pleasant,  but  not  good  ;  there 
are  others,  again,  that  are  good  but  not  pleasant ;  but  this  was 
both  pleasant  and  good.  Job  is  not  with  his  children  on  this 
occasion,  but  he  rejoiced  in  their  joy,  and  sent  to  heaven  many 
a  prayer  that  their  earthly  prosperity  might  not  lead  them  to 
forget  God. 

But  what  means  this  !  A  man  is  seen  rushing  towards  the 
house,  and  his  face  tells  a  tale  of  woe  before  his  tongue  can 
utter  a  word.  His  clothes  are  torn  and  bloody,  and  he  has  all 
the  appearance  of  one  who  has  passed  through  a  severe  conflict. 
He  reports  to  his  master  that  while  he  and  his  fellow  servants 
were  at  work  in  the  fields,  a  band  of  Sabeans  fell  upon  them, 
killed  all  but  himself,  and  went  off  with  the  cattle.  It  has  often 
been  noticed  in  families,  that  one  trouble  scarcely  ever  comes 
alone.  Rushing  after  each  other  like  the  great  waves  of  the 
stormy  sea,  they  come  down  upon  the  heads  of  the  sufferers 
with  surging  might.  Scarcely  has  this  man  finished  telling  his 
tale  of  woe,  when  another  comes  in  hot  haste,  breathless,  pale, 
and  a  whole  volume  of  evil  tidings  in  his  eye.  He  reports  that 
the  lightnings  of  heaven  had  fallen  in  consuming  blaze,  and 
killed  all  Job's  servants  and  the  vast  flocks  of  sheep  which  they 
had  been  attending.  He  had  scarcely  done  speaking  when  an- 
other reporter  of  evil  tidings  entered.  He  reports  that  the 
Chaldeans,  in  three  bands,  have  seized  upon  the  camels,  and 


190  THE    WORLD  S    HOPE. 

taken  them  away,  killing  the  servants  while  defending  their 
master's  property.  But  heavier  and  heavier  fall  the  blows 
upon  this  good  man's  head.  His  property  is  nearly  all  gone; 
he  is  now  a  poor  man ;  but  his  children  are  yet  spared  to  him. 
They  have  always  been  kind  and  loving  and  dutiful,  and  he 
is  still  rich  in  possessing  them.  But  here  comes  another  mes- 
senger with  words  of  horror !  A  wild  tempest,  a  desolating 
tornado  has  smote  the  house  where  his  children  had  their 
family  gathering,  and  crushed  them  to  death  in  its  ruin.  Oh, 
what  a  crushing  blow  is  this !  The  loss  of  riches  could  have 
been  borne,  but  his  brave,  his  lovely,  his  loving  children — the 
joy  of  his  life,  the  beloved  of  his  soul — all  gone ;  never  to  see 
them  more,  never  again  to  gladden  his  heart  and  his  home  with 
their  beaming  smiles  and  loving  ways  ! 

Who  that  have  lost  children  themselves  do  not  pity  this  old 
man,  standing  in  this  howling  tempest  of  adversity,  like  a 
solitary  tree  in  a  field,  stripped  of  all  its  branches.  I  remem- 
ber meeting  a  brother  minister  in  Canada,  who  when  he  left 
Scotland  had  a  large  family  of  lovely  children ;  but  when  he 
landed  at  Montreal  had  not  one.  They  had  sickened  and  died, 
one  after  another,  till  all  had  been  committed  to  the  great 
deep.  He  looked  .like  a  man  who  had  been  stunned  with  a 
blow  on  the  head.  He  walked  and  talked  like  a  man  in  a 
dream.  But  Job's  children  were  not  taken  from  him  by  dis- 
ease, giving  him  a  little  time  to  prepare  for  the  appalling  loss  : 
but  suddenly,  without  a  moment's  notice,  he  was  written  child- 
less. And  then,  it  was  by  a  violent  death  that  he  lost  them. 
No  doubt,  to  the  Christian  sudden  death  is  sudden  glory ;  but 
it  fills  us  with  horror  to  have  the  bodies  of  our  friends  mangled 
by  sudden  death,  it  may  be  almost  beyond  recognition.  Let 
us  learn  from  this  dark  catalogue  of  trouble  w^hich  befell  Job, 
to  keep  a  loose  hold  of  earth,  and  not  to  set  our  affections  too 
strongly  upon  anything  below  the  skies,  for  we  know  not  wha^. 
a  day  may  bring  forth.  A  few  brief  hours  may  sweep  oiu 
possessions  from  the  face  of  the  earth.  Let  us  have  out 
treasure  in  heaven,  our  all  in  God  himself. 

Meantime,   how   bears   this  good   man   this  succession   of 


JOB,  THE    PATIENT    SUFFERER.  I9I 

troubles  ?  In  such  a  way  as  to  excite  our  highest  admiration. 
He  does  not  throw  himself  upon  the  ground  in  an  agony  of 
turbulent  and  frenzied  sorrow.  He  does  not  rush  off  into  the 
wilderness,  nor  hide  himself  in  a  hermit's  cave,  there  to  brood 
over  his  losses.  It  is  true  that  he  feels  those  losses  keenly,  but 
his  sorrow  is  manly  and  dignified.  There  is  no  extravagant 
expression  of  his  sorrow,  either  in  word  or  act.  His  faith 
gains  a  complete  victory,  compared  with  which  all  the  victories 
ever  gained  on  battle  fields  sink  into  insignificance.  By  that 
faith  he  conquered  Satan,  and  set  an  example  that  has  been 
like  a  tower  of  strength  to  believers  in  every  age  since  his  day, 
Listen  to  the  sublime  outpourings  of  his  anguished  soul.  "  The 
Lord  gave,  and  the  Lord  hath  taken  away ;  blessed  be  the 
name  of  the  Lord." 

But  his  afflictions  are  not  yet  ended.  Fierce  disease 
fastens  upon  his  own  person.  He  is  smitten  with  sore  boils, 
from,  the  sole  of  his  feet  unto  his  crown.  Eminent  scholars 
and  physicians,  judging  from  the  symptoms  described,  say  that 
it  was  the  black  leprosy  with  which  he  was  afflicted.  This  is 
described  as  a  universal  ulcer,  and  one  of  the  most  painful  and 
loathsome  diseases  which  can  afflict  humanity.  He  is  brought 
before  us  in  a  most  forlorn  and  miserable  condition  ;  sitting 
among  ashes  and  scraping  himself  with  a  potsherd.  We  are 
told  that  the  disease  named  is  so  offensive  that  all  the  friends 
flee  from  the  sufferer,  leaving  him  to  be  his  own  nurse.  The 
whole  is  such  a  dark  picture  of  sorrow  and  desolation  that 
our  hearts  break  out  in  pity,  and  we  would  be  glad  if 
death  would  step  in  and  end  the  scene.  His  own  picture 
of  his  state  is  this  :  "  When  I  lie  down  I  say,  when  shall 
I  arise,  and  the  night  be  gone  ?  I  am  full  of  tossings  to  and 
fro  unto  the  dawning  of  the  day.  My  flesh  is  clothed  with 
wounds  and  clouds  of  dust ;  my  skin  is  broken  and  become 
loathsome." 

At  this  crisis  we  hear,  for  the  first  time,  of  his  wife.  We  are 
glad  to  learn  that  she  still  lives  ;  and  are  ready  to  assure  our- 
selves that  she  will  bring  him  comfort.  No  man  can  be  utterly 
desolate  and  forsaken  who  has  the  strong  affection  and  undy- 


192  THE    WORLDS    HOPE. 

ing  love  of  a  good  wife  to  fall  back  upon.  Heaven's  richest 
gift  to  man  is  a  wise,  loving,  true-hearted  wife.  She  will  prove 
to  him  a  helpmeet  in  every  trial ;  and  her  sympathy,  her  strong 
faith  in  her  husband,  and  her  hope  in  the  future  will  prove  an 
unfailing  support.  But,  alas !  even  this  fails  Job  in  the  day 
of  trouble.  We  would  not  wonder  to  find  his  wife  the  victim 
of  bitter  grief  and  sunk  under  a  load  of  despondency.  Many 
of  the  calamities  that  had  befallen  him  had  smitten  her  also. 
The  children  that  he  had  lost  were  also  her  children.  If  he 
was  homeless  and  beggared  by  the  loss  of  his  earthly  all,  she 
was  an  equal  sharer  in  the  loss.  We  are  prepared  to  excus  ^ 
her,  then,  for  any  outbreak  of  passionate  sorrow  to  which  she 
may  give  vent.  But  when  we  see  her  approach  him  with  the 
harsh,  unwomanly,  and  blasphemous  words,  "  Curse  G^od  and 
die  '"  we  are  shocked,  and  feel  that  this  is  a  heavy  addition  to 
his  troubles.  His  property  is  gone,  his  children  are  gone,  his 
health  gone,  his  high  position  in  society  gone,  even  his  friends 
are  turned  against  him  and  are  denouncing  him  as  a  hypocrite  ; 
and  now  he  has  nothing  left  but  his  God  and  his  religion,  and 
even  his  own  wife  asks  him  to  renounce  these.  To  curse  his 
God,  and  to  tear  from  his  agonized  soul  the  hope  of  heaven,  is 
the  counsel  which  Satan  gives ;  not  through  his  own  foul,  lying 
lips,  but  through  the  lips  of  her  he  had  loved  so  long  and  so 
well.  His  answer,  under  the  circumstances,  is  one  of  great 
mildness  and  wisdom.  "Thou  speakest  as  one  of  the  foolish 
women  speaketh.  What !  shall  we  receive  good  at  the  hand  of 
God,  and  shall  we  not  receive  evil  ?" 

The  Apostle  Paul  tells  us  that  "  no  affliction  for  the  present 
seemeth  to  be  joyous,  but  rather  grievous."  He  then  points 
us  out  the  results  which  affliction  works,  such  as  the  peaceable 
fruits  of  righteousness,  and  the  far  more  exceeding  and  eternal 
weight  of  glory.  The  bud  may  be  bitter,  but  the  flower  will 
be  sweet. 

A  minister  tells  us  that  he  was  spending  several  days  in  one 
of  our  Western  cities.  He  put  up  at  a  hotel,  and  one  morn- 
ing he  heard,  while  up  in  his  room,  the  most  wonderful  whist- 
ling he  had  ever  listened  to.     It  seemed  like  the  notes  of  a 


JOB,  THE    PATIENT    SUFFERER.  I93 

bird,  but  he  thought  it  could  not  be  that,  for  there  was  a  per- 
fectly regular  tune  kept  up  with  much  power.  Though  he  was 
in  the  third  story,  yet  the  music  came  gushing  up  in  its  sweet 
melody,  and  seemed  to  fill  the  whole  house.  He  ran  down 
stairs  to  get  a  sight  of  the  wonderful  performer,  looking  every 
man  that  he  met  in  the  face.  At  last  he  asked  the  clerk  who 
it  was  that  had  such  amazing  power  as  a  whistler.  Laughing 
at  his  simplicity  he  pointed  him  to  a  canary  bird  that  had  been 
trained  to  perform  in  this  way,  and  was  valued  at  one  hundred 
and  fifty  dollars. 

"  How  was  that  bird  trained  to  sing  this  way  .?"  the  gentle- 
man enquired.  In  reply  the  clerk  told  him  that  during  the 
training  process  the  bird  is  nearly  starved  and  shut  up  in  a 
room  that  is  almost  dark.  While  it  is  under  this  severe  disci- 
pline, and  its  attention  undivided,  a  bird  organ  is  made  to  play 
this  one  tune  over  and  over  again,  for  days.  Hearing  nothing 
else,  and  taught  by  his  troubles^  the  poor  little  bird  takes  up  the 
tune  which  he  performs  so  perfectly. 

Thus  it  is  that  God  permits  his  people  to  be  afflicted  that 
they  may  learn  the  heavenly  song.  He  shuts  them  up  in  the 
dark  room  of  sorrow,  away  from  the  tempting  sights  and  sounds 
of  the  world,  that  they  may,  without  distraction,  listen  to  his 
voice  and  learn  to  sing  the  higher  melodies  of  glory.  Blessed 
are  those  who  patiently  wait  the  Lord's  good  time  to  work  out 
their  deliverance.  When  the  song  of  grace  is  fully  learned,  he 
brings  them  into  a  large  place,  sets  their  feet  upon  a  rock,  and 
others  learn  from  them  the  sweet  song  of  redeeming  love. 

There  was  lately  on  exhibition,  in  New  York,  a  beautiful 
work  of  art,  a  drawing  so  perfect,  that  in  the  opinion  of  the 
best  judges,  it  deserved  to  be  put  beside  the  works  of  the  great 
masters.  It  tells  a  story  of  patience  and  perseverance,  of 
courage  and  self-reliance,  and  of  the  power  of  the  mind  over 
outward  difficulties,  truly  amazing. 

The  drawing  is  by  John  Carter,  and  it  was  executed  in  India 
ink,  with  the  point  of  a  hair  pencil  which  he  held  be^veen  his 
teeth.  He  has  executed  a  number  of  pieces,  all  of  which  have 
been  eagerly  bought  up,  but  the  one  referred   to  is  said  to  be 


194  THE    WORLD  S    HOPE. 

^s  masterpiece,  and  is  called  ^'' The  Rat  Catcher  and  his  Dogs." 
Carter  was  a  poor,  uneducated,  common  day  laborer,  having 
only  been  long  enough  at  school  to  learn  to  read  and  write. 
One  day  in  climbing  a  tree  he  fell  and  injured  his  spine.  He 
was  taken  up  for  dead ;  but,  contrary  to  all  expectation,  lived 
for  fourteen  years  without  power  to  move  a  limb  of  his  body, 
and  without  feeling  anywhere  below  his  neck.  His  head  and 
neck  had  feeling  and  power  of  motion.  To  pass  the  time  he 
began  to  draw,  holding  the  brush  in  his  teeth  and  moving  it 
with  his  lips  and  tongue.  A  beautiful  butterfly  came  in  at  his 
window  one  day,  and  he  took  that  for  his  first  subject.  He 
went  on  day  by  day,  forgetting  his  troubles  in  his  intense  inter- 
est in  his  occupation,  till  he  produced  a  picture  that  excites  the 
admiration  of  the  best  judges  in  Britain  and  America. 

Nor  was  this  all.  He  died  in  1850,  and  a  short  memoir  of 
him  was  written  by  his  minister,  from  which  we  learn  that  his 
moral  qualities  kept  pace  with  his  intellectual.  While  he  was 
learning  to  draw  the  works  of  God  the  Holy  Spirit  was  draw- 
ing the  Divine  image  upon  his  soul.  His  poor,  hard,  repulsive 
life  was  made  lovely  and  of  good  report,  and  the  humble  cot- 
tage in  which  he  lived  became  to  many  like  the  gate  of  heaven. 
A  sweet  calm,  unbroken  by  fretfulness  or  repining,  sat  upon 
his  soul  day  by  day,  and  made  a  visit  to  him  the  most  power- 
ful of  sermons.  And  while  he  showed  such  energy,  ingenuity, 
and  invincible  pluck  in  overcoming  difficulties,  yet  in  humil- 
ity and  gratitude  and  cheerful  piety,  he  showed  that  his  trust 
was  in  God  alone. 

So  it  is  that  thousands  in  the  school  of  affliction  have  learned 
that  of  which  they  had  no  conception  in  prosperous  days.  They 
have  in  quiet  patience  possessed  their  souls  till  the  Savior's 
image  could  be  seen  in  them.  Could  we  to-day  go  up  to  that 
heavenly  multitude,  in  numbers  beyond  computation,  and  speak 
to  them  one  by  one,  we  would  find  that  they  had  come  there 
through  much  tribulation.  And  now  they  know  that  it  was  not 
too  much — that  not  one  trial,  not  one  stroke  of  the  rod  could 
have  been  spared. 


JOB,    THE    PATIENT    SUFFERER.  I95 

"  All  their  toils  and  conflicts  over, 

Lo  !  they  dwell  with  Christ  above  ; 
Oh !  what  glories  they  discover 

In  the  Savior  whom  they  love ! 
Now  they  see  him  face  to  face, 

Him  who  saved  them  by  His  grace." 

But  to  return  to  Job.  Three  of  his  special  friends  paid  him 
a  visit  of  sympathy  and  condolence.  He  was  so  fearfully 
changed  that  they  could  scarcely  recognize  him,  and  contrast- 
ing his  present  condition  with  that  in  which  they  had  last  seen 
him,  "  they  lifted  up  their  voices  and  wept."  With  much  deli- 
cacy of  feeling  they  sat  down  by  him  upon  the  ground  without 
uttering  a  word ;  paying,  as  the  poet  says : 

"  A  debt  of  reverence  to  distress  so  great." 

We  have  an  account  of  a  long  discussion  between  Job  and 
his  friends,  into  which  we  have  not  room  fully  to  enter.  To 
do  so  would  require  a  book  by  itself.  Job  still  retains  his  faith 
in  God,  but  through  weakness  of  the  flesh,  and  his  extreme 
mental  and  bodily  anguish,  he  gives  utterance  to  sentiments 
that  cannot  be  justified.  There  are  lamentations  of  too  de- 
sponding a  character ;  and  he  shows  too  much  self-righteous- 
ness in  vindicating  himself.  Eliphaz,  being  the  oldest  of  the 
three,  is  the  first  speaker.  His  arguments  are  powerful,  and 
his  language  has  great  poetic  beauty  and  eloquence.  But  hi^ 
whole  address  is  founded  upon  the  false  conception  that  Job^s 
great  sufferings  are  a  proof  that  he  was  a  great  sinner. 

In  the  course  of  his  remarks  he  has  a  splendid  description 
of  a  supernatural  visitor,  which  has  been  greatly  admired  by 
men  of  literary  taste.  Many  attempts  have  been  made  lo 
describe  in  poetic  numbers  the  visits  of  spirits  to  earth ;  but 
their  description  remains  unapproached  and  unapproachable. 
Barnes  says  of  it,  "  It  is  impossible  to  conceive  anything  more 
sublime  than  the  whole  description.  It  was  midnight.  There 
was  silence  and  solitude  all  around.  At  that  fearful  hour  the 
vision  came,  and  a  sentiment  was  communicated  to  Eliphaz  of 
the  utmost  importance,  and  suited  to  make  the  deepest  possible 
impression.     The  time,  the  quiet,  the  form  of  the  image,  its 


196  THE    world's    hope, 

passing  along,  and  then  suddenly  standing  still ;  the  silence, 
and  then  the  deep  and  solemn  voice — all  were  fitted  to  pro- 
duce the  profoundest  awe," 

Bildad,  the  Shuhite,  is  the  next  speaker.  There  is  a  great 
deal  of  good  sound  truth  in  his  remarks ;  but  going  upon  the 
ground  that  Job  must  have  been  a  hypocrite,  it  sounds  harsh, 
severe,  and  cruel. 

Zophar  is  the  third  of  those  miserable  comforters.  He 
takes  the  same  ground  as  the  rest,  as  to  the  cause  of  Job's 
affliction,  and  is  even  more  violent  and  denunciatory  against 
the  man  of  God.  There  is  in  his  discourse  one  of  the  grand- 
est descriptions  of  God's  attributes.  He  dwells  upon  the 
sovereignty  of  God  and  the  unsearchableness  of  his  ways; 
and  argues  from  the  perfection  of  the  Divine  wisdom  the  folly 
of  sinful  man  setting  himself  up  to  question  God's  ways. 

While  the  controversy  was  going  on  a  young  man,  called 
Elihu,  had  been  an  earnest  listener,  and  now  in  a  very  modest 
way  began  to  give  his  opinions.  He  rebukes  both  sides  ;  Job 
for  justifying  himself  rather  than  the  Lord,  who  doeth  right- 
eously, and  his  friends  for  condemning,  without  cause,  so  good 
a  man.  With  wonderful  power  he  shows  the  impossibility  of 
sinful  man  making  himself  acceptable  to  God  by  his  own 
works.  And  his  speech  had  a  great  effect  upon  Job.  He 
makes  no  direct  reply  to  it,  but  his  eyes  become  open  to  his 
faults,  and  to  a  humble  view  of  himself  before  God.  Toward 
the  close  of  his  remarks  there  is  a  very  sublime  description 
of  a  thunder  storm.  Nowhere  can  we  find,  in  the  writings 
of  uninspired  men,  anything  to  be  compared  to  it.  In  the 
eighteenth  Psalm  there  is  a  description  of  the  same  thing,  that 
perhaps  excels  it.  It  is  likely  that  such  a  storm  was  raging 
at  the  very  time  Elihu  was  speaking ;  for  shortly  after  we  are 
told  of  the  Lord  speaking  to  Job  out  of  the  whirlwind. 

This  speech  of  the  Almighty  is  awfully  solemn  and  sublime. 
Bishop  Patrick  says,  "  that  its  grandeur  is  as  much  above  all 
other  poetry  as  thunder  is  louder  than  a  whisper."  Gilfillan, 
who  regards  the  book  of  Job  as  an  allegory,  says,  "  To  put 
suitable  language  in  the  mouth  of  Deity,  has  generally  tasked 


JOB,    THE    PATIENT    SUFFERER.  197 

to  straining  or  crushed  to  feebleness  the  genius  of  poets." 
Homer,  indeed,  at  times,  nobly  ventriloquizes  from  the  top  of 
Olympus ;  but  it  is  ventriloquism ;  Homer's  thunder,  not 
Job's.  Milton,  while  impersonating  God,  falls  flat ;  he  peeps 
and  mutters  from  the  dust ;  he  shrinks  from  seeking  to  fill  up 
the  compass  of  the  Eternal's  voice.  Adequately  to  represent 
God's  speaking,  required  not  only  the  highest  inspiration,  but 
that  the  poet  had  heard,  or  thought  that  he  heard,  his  very 
voice,  shaping  articulate  sounds  from  midnight  torrents,  from 
the  voices  of  the  wind,  from  the  chambers  of  thunder,  from 
the  rush  of  whirlwinds,  from  the  hush  of  night,  and  from  the 
breeze  of  day.  And  doubtless,  the  author  of  the  book  of  Job 
had  this  experience." 

Job  is  now  humbled  in  the  dust.  He  takes  his  true  position 
as  a  sinner.  He  says  to  God,  "  I  have  heard  of  thee  by  the 
hearing  of  the  ear ;  but  now  mine  eyes  see  thee,  wherefore  I 
abhor  myself  and  repent  in  dust  and  ashes."  The  Lord  from 
the  whirlwind  rebukes  the  three  friends  in  words  of  strong 
displeasure.  They  had  given  a  distorted  view  of  God's  char- 
acter, and  had  persistently  slandered  a  good  man.  They  were 
commanded  to  bring  an  expiatory  sacrifice  for  themselves, 
while  Job  is  to  intercede  on  their  behalf.  Prosperity  now  rolls 
in  upon  Job.  Two-fold  more  than  he  had  lost  is  restored  to 
him.  Friends  crowd  around  him  with  presents  in  their  hands, 
and  in  a  happy  and  serene  old  age  he  found  that  the  prom- 
ises of  God  never  fail  the  trusting  and  confiding  believer. 
"Weeping  may  endure  for  anight,  but  joy  cometh  in  the  morn- 
ing." 

"  Leave  all  to  God, 
Forsaken  one,  and  still  thy  tears, 

For  the  Highest  knows  thy  pain  ; 
Sees  thy  suffering  and  thy  fears ; 

Thou  shalt  not  wait  his  help  in  vain, 
Leave  all  to  God. 
"Be  still  and  trust! 
For  his  strokes  are  strokes  of  love 

Thou  must  for  thy  profit  bear ; 
He  thy  filial  fear  would  move  ; 
Trust  thy  Father's  loving  care  : 
Be  still  and  trust ! 


198  THE    world's    hope. 

"  Know  God  is  near  ! 
Though  thou  think  him  far  away, 

Though  his  mercy  long  have  slept. 
He  will  come  and  not  delay, 
When  his  child  enough  hath  wept  5 
For  God  is  near. 

"  O,  teach  him  not 
When  and  how  to  hear  thy  prayers ; 

Never  doth  our  God  forget ; 
He  the  cross  who  longest  bears 
Finds  his  sorrow's  bounds  are  set ; 
Then  teach  him  not. 

"If  thou  love  him, 
Walking  truly  in  his  ways, 

Then  no  trouble,  cross,  or  death 
Shakes  thy  heart  or  quells  thy  praiso  5 
All  things  serve  thee  here  beneath* 
If  thou  love  God !" 


SAMUEL,    THE    CONSECRATED    TO    GOD.  199 


CHAPTER  XIV. 
SAMUEL:    THE  CONSECRATED   TO  GOD. 

How  much  the  world  owes  to  pious  mothers  can  never  be 
known.  The  men  who  have  done  the  most  to  bring  our 
wandering  race  back  to  God  ;  who  "fiave  stood  forth  the  bold 
and  unflinching  advocates  of  civil  and  religious  liberty  ;  in 
whose  souls  have  burned  a  patriotic  fervor  that  eagerly  and 
earnestly  aimed  at  the  highest  good  of  their  countrymen  for 
both  world's;  men  who  made  no  account  of  life  itself  when 
put  in  competition  with  the  glory  of  God  and  the  high  and 
holy  interests  of  truth ;  men,  in  short,  who  in  the  presence  of 
assembled  worlds  shall  hear  the  "  well  done  "  of  the  great 
Judge  addressed  to  them,  have  been  delighted  to  acknowl- 
edge that  all  that  they  were,  under  God,  was  due  to  the 
prayers  and  instructions  of  their  pious  mothers. 

It  has  been  noticed  that  among  the  women  of  Israel,  there 
existed  a  strong  desire  for  children.  To  be  a  wife  and  not  a 
mother  was  regarded  as  a  heavy  affliction ;  nay,  a  kind  of  re- 
proach. This  has  been  accounted  for  by  the  influence  which 
the  promise  of  the  Messiah  had  upon  their  minds,  each  hop- 
ing that  the  high  honor  which  in  the  fullness  of  time  was 
given  to  the  Holy  Mary  might  be  hers.  But  this  only  accounts 
for  it  in  part.  They  regarded  the  possession  of  children  as  a 
great  blessing,  "  a  heritage  from  the  Lord;"  and  an  increase 
of  the  family  was  a  matter  of  rejoicing  and  gratitude.  And 
permit  me  to  say,  that  this  is  always  the  case,  where  society  is 
not  sunk  into  a  fearfully  perverted  and  corrupted  state.  Woe 
to  the  country  where  children  are  regarded  rather  as  an  in- 
cumbrance than  as  a  blessing,  as  something  to  be  feared 
rather  than  desired,  and  to  prevent  which  means  are  resorted 
to,  at  the  very  thought  of  which  modesty  blushes  and  human- 
ity shudders. 


200  THE    WORLD  S    HOPE. 

This  Strong  desire  for  children  gave  rise  to  a  practice,  which, 
not  only  never  had  the  approval  of  God,  but  incurred  his 
highest  displeasure.  I  refer  to  the  practice  of  introducing 
into  the  household,  another  or  a  subordinate  wife,  when  the 
first  had  no  children.  The  family  distractions,  the  jealousies, 
and  heart-burnings,  the  utter  loss  of  all  home  comfort,  to 
which  this  almost  universally  gave  rise,  proved  that  the  way  of 
transgressors  is  hard. 

The  father  of  Samuel  was  Elkanah,  a  Levite,  of  the  city  of 
Ephraim.  He  was  a  person  of  wealth  and  influence,  and 
seems  to  have  been  a  kind,  good,  God-fearing  man.  His  wife, 
Hannah,  was  one  of  the  best  of  women.  Her  piety  was  deep 
and  earnest,  and  marked  by  great  humility  and  conscientious- 
ness, while  her  faith  in  piayer  was  extraordinary.  Her 
husband  loved  her  fondly,  but  their  home  was  not  gladened 
by  the  voice  of  childhood,  which  was  a  standing  sorrow  to 
her  heart.  In  an  evil  hour  her  husband  brought  another  wife 
to  his  house,  named  Penannah,  and  all  comfort  fled  the 
dwelling.  She  brought  Elkanah  sons  and  daughters,  we  are 
told ;  but  being  a  woman  of  a  weak  and  malignant  mind,  she 
made  Hannah  very  unhappy  by  her  constant  abuse. 

But  that  good  woman  was  as  eminent  for  her  goodness  as  for 
her  piety,  and  patiently  bore  evils  which  could  not  be  helped. 
She  made  no  complaint  to  her  husband,  and  entered  into  no 
angry  altercations  with  her  foolish  and  cruel  rival.  Her  meek 
and  gentle  spirit  was  far  above  anything  of  that  kind,  and  led 
her  to  carry  all  her  heart  troubles  to  Him  who  has  said,  "  Call 
upon  me  in  the  day  of  trouble,  and  I  will  deliver  thee." 

Her  husband  went  up  yearly  to  the  tabernacle  of  the  Lord 
in  Shiloh,  to  offer  sacrifices,  taking  his  family  with  him.  It 
would  seem  that  on  such  occasions  Hannah's  rival  was  at 
special  pains  to  insult  her  and  to  triumph  over  her.  Her  poor, 
trembling,  timid  soul,  flies  to  the  sanctuary,  and  pours  out  her 
troubles  into  the  loving  and  sympathizing  ear  of  her  heavenly 
Friend. 

There  is  nothing  on  earth  so  powerful  as  prayer.  More 
powerful  than  the  might  of  kings,  the  decrees  of  cabinets,  or 


SAMUEL,    THE    CONSECRATED    TO    GOD.  20I 

the  mandates  of  senators,  is  the  prayer  of  faith.  More  to  be 
feared,  by  the  enemies  of  truth  and  righteousness,  is  the  ap- 
peal to  heaven,  by  the  humblest  child  of  God,  than  the  tramp 
of  armies,  and  the  might  of  well  appointed  navies,  for  prayer 
can  do  what  these  cannot,  move  the  arm  of  God.  Hannah's 
prayer  was  a  powerful  and  an  effective  one,  but  it  was  not  a 
noisy  one.  There  were  deep  groanings  within  her  that  could 
not  be  uttered.  Her  lips  moved,  but  her  voice  was  only 
heard  by  the  ear  of  God.  Very  likely  there  was  the  marks  of 
deep  emotion  upon  her  countenance ;  and  Eli,  the  High  priest, 
who  had  been  watching  her,  came  to  the  conclusion  that  she 
was  intoxicated,  and  administered  to  her  a  severe  jebuke, 
"  How  long  wilt  thou  be  drunken  ?  Put  away  thy  wine  from 
thee.'' 

Poor  woman  !  As  if  she  had  not  trouble  enough  already, 
must  she  be  called  a  drunkard  in  God's  house  and  by  God's 
minister !  How  hard  and  stunning  must  this  blow  have  been 
to  such  a  gentle  and  sensitive  spirit.  The  best  of  men  are  lia- 
ble to  make  mistakes  in  judging  of  their  fellow-creatures,  but 
how  cautious  should  we  be  in  forming  our  opinions  about  oth- 
ers, and  still  more  so  in  expressing  them.  We  may  offend  one 
of  God's  little  ones,  and  bring  upon  ourselves  a  terrible  woe. 
What  does  Hannah  do  ?  Does  she  break  out  into  indignant 
protest  and  angry  invective  against  such  a  charge  ?  No  ;  she 
treats  God's  high  priest  with  becoming  reverence  and  courtesy. 
"  No,  my  Lord,  I  am  a  woman  of  a  sorrowful  spirit.  I  have 
drank  neither  wine  nor  strong  drink,  but  have  poured  out  my 
soul  before  the  Lord." 

The  good  man  was  convinced  that  he  had  made  a  serious 
mistake,  and  joined  his  prayers  to  her's.  She  made  a  vow, 
that  if  the  Lord  would  give  her  a  son  he  should  be  wholly 
devotefd  to  the  Lord's  service.  In  due  time  her  prayer  was 
answered,  and  as  she  gazed  upon  the  face  of  her  son  with  all 
a  mother's  fond  love,  she  called  him  Samuel,  which  means, 
asked  of  the  Lord. 

Soon  as  Samuel  was  old  enough  to  be  spared  from  his  moth- 
er, she  is  not  unmindful  of  her  solemn  vow.     From  the  Lord's 


202  THE    WORLD  S    HOPE. 

hands  she  had  received  him,  and  to  His  service  she  is  resolved 
he  shall  be  dedicated.  To  part  with  him,  at  a  time  when  he 
was  becoming  most  interesting,  must  have  been  a  hard  trial  to 
her  motherly  heart,  but  faith  can  triumph  even  over  natural 
affection.  We  see  her  then  holding  her  boy  by  the  hand  and 
journeying  to  Shiloh.  Perhaps  Eli  had  forgotten  her  by  this 
time,  but  a  few  words  would  soon  recall  all  the  circumstances 
of  the  case.  He  takes  the  gift  from  the  mother,  recognizing 
the  hand  of  God  in  the  whole  matter ;  and  from  that  time,  we 
are  told,  the  child  ministered  to  him. 

And  now  she  must  go  back  to  her  home  without  him  who, 
as  far  as  any  earthly  thing  could,  had  been  the  joy  and  light  of 
her  dwelling.  We  expect  to  hear  the  voice  of  weeping  and 
lamentation,  but  instead  of  that,  she  breaks  forth  into  a  song  of 
thanksgiving,  and  the  outgushing  of  a  happy,  loving  heart. 
But  though  she  has  parted  with  her  son  and  knows  that  he 
is  in  safe  keeping,  she  still  watches  over  him,  and  cares  for 
his  wants.  What  a  sweet  picture  is  that  which  the  inspired 
narrator  brings  before  us.  "  She  made  him  a  little  coat, 
and  brought  it  from  year  to  year,  when  she  came  with  her 
husband  to  the  yearly  sacrifice."  How  these  yearly  visits 
would  be  looked  forward  to,  how  they  would  be  talked  about 
before  and  after,  we  need  not  tell.  It  has  not  been  thought 
beneath  the  dignity  of  inspired  history  to  mention  that  little 
coat,  every  stitch  of  which  was  a  labor  of  love.  God  gave 
her  other  children,  who  made  many  demands  upon  her  time ; 
but  her  oldest  son,  the  child  of  her  many  prayers,  was  never 
forgotten.  She  saw  him  growing  up  in  favor  with  God  and 
man.  He  was  humble,  prompt  in  the  performance  of  his 
duties,  reverent  and  earnest  in  all  that  related  to  God's  wor- 
ship, greatly  beloved  by  the  high  priest,  and  gave  promise  of 
future  greatness  even  beyond  a  fond  mother's  expectations. 

What  a  great  work  does  that  mother  accomplish  who  trains 
up  a  child  for  God.  Her  sphere  may  seem  a  small  one,  her 
lot  lowly  and  obscure  ;  but  world-wide  is  the  influence  she 
exerts.  Her  work  will  go  down  undiminished,  and  extending 
through  all  ages ;  even  down  to  the  last  moment  of  recorded 


SAMUEL,    THE    CONSECRATED    TO    GOD.  203 

time.  And  yet  it  is  not  every  good  Christian  that  is  a  good 
trainer  of  youth.  Some,  by  sour  and  gloomy  presentation  of 
truth,  may  make  reUgion  repulsive  to  their  children.  Some, 
by  too  great  severity,  break  the  twig  instead  of  bending  it  in  a 
heavenly  direction  ;  while  others,  like  Eli,  refusing  to  use  the 
appropriate  restraints,  let  them  rush  on,  with  unbridled  passions, 
to  perdition. 

We  cannot  estimate  the  great  influence  of  youthful  piety. 
Then  impressions  are  received  that  are  to  be  perpetual  as  the 
soul's  own  being.  It  is  then  that  the  die  is  struck,  the  in- 
scription impressed,  that  is  to  be  read  through  all  eternity. 
Then  is  the  crisis  of  our  being — the  moulding  time  of  charac- 
ter— that  is  to  develop  into  an  an  angel  or  a  fiend.  We 
sometimes,  in  traveling,  meet  old  men  mature  in  wickedness  ; 
lost  to  faith  in  God,  lost  to  faith  in  man's  truth  or  woman's 
virtue ;  the  wretched,  depraved,  sensual  soul,  having  engraved 
its  likeness  upon  the  wrinkled  visage ;  the  filthy  mouth  forming 
an  outlet  for  the  vile,  volcanic-like  passions  that  dwell  within ; 
and  we  are  shocked  at  the  sight.  But  all  this  maturity  in  sin 
began  in  one  false  step  in  youth.  We  are  shocked  to  read  in 
the  papers  accounts  of  wrecked  ships,  beaten  to  pieces  by 
angry  waves  upon  frowning  cliffs  and  rocky  coasts.  In  the 
quiet  and  security  of  our  own  homes,  we  can  imagine  th&,t  we 
hear  the  shrieks  of  the  perishing  ones,  rising  above  the  hoarse 
voice  of  the  tempest ;  and  that  we  see  faces  distorted  with 
terror,  as  they  are  borne  on  to  destruction  by  the  mountain 
billow.  But  what  is  this  to  the  wrecks  that  are  going  on 
among  young  souls,  every  day,  in  our  crowded  cities.  With 
strong  passions  within,  clamoring  for  gratification  ;  with  temp- 
tations all  around,  making  them  more  familiar  with  sin,  they 
are  among  the  breakers;  and  nothing  but  early  piety,  taking 
Jesus  for  their  pilot,  can  save  them.  He  alone  can  guide 
them  to  a  secure  haven. 

Samuel  was  consecrated  to  God.  An  old  man  may  do  this, 
but  he  only  offers  God  the  dregs  of  his  life.  His  health,  his 
vigor,  his  bright  manhood,  his  warm,  glowing  affections,  have 
all  been  given  to  the  world.     To  deliberately  plan  to  put  reli- 


204 


THE    WORLD  S    HOPE. 


gion  off  to  old  age,  is  supremely  mean,  not  to  speak  of  its 
wickedness.  It  is  a  positive  insult  to  God ;  for  he  gave  the 
world  the  very  best  gift  he  had  to  give,  namely,  his  own  Son. 
And  yet  men  will  tell  us  that  when  they  are  old  and  worn  out 
in  sin  and  worldliness,  they  will  come  with  a  sudden  flaring 
out  of  piety,  and  make  God  a  present  of  the  dregs  of  their 
existence. 

Can  we  conceive  of  anything  more  forlorn  and  sad  than  an 
old  man  sitting  amid  the  wrecks  of  the  past,  with  dull  ears, 
and  dim  eyes,  and  benumbed  brain,  looking  over  a  misspent 
life,  while  his  sins,  gathering  round  him,  call  for  vengeance, 
like  the  ghosts  of  murdered  men.  He  wants  to  go  to  heaven; 
not  that  he  cares  about  its  employments  or  its  holiness,  but 
only  to  escape  hell.  The  habit  of  delaying  religion  has  be- 
come so  strong  that  it  binds  him  as  if  with  chains  of  iron ; 
and  dozing  his  days  away  in  a  sleepy  indifference  he  passes 
into  eternity.  Young  reader,  come  early  to  Jesus.  Let  the 
first  fruits  of  your  whole  being  be  given  to  him.  The  most 
useful  men  the  world  has  ever  seen  were  converted  early. 
Samuel,  David,  Daniel  and  Timothy  are  all  examples  of  this. 
And  may  God  make  you  another  illustrious  example  of  the 
same  thing ! 

•  Samuel  was  not  only  early  called  to  be  a  subject  of  real 
piety,  but  he  was  early  called  into  the  prophetic  office.  This 
was  done  in  a  remarkable  manner.  Waiting  upon  the  high 
priest,  and  performing  many  little  offices  for  his  personal  com- 
fort, he  slept  at  night  near  to  his  chamber.  The  old  man  had 
gone  to  rest ;  and,  his  duties  being  all  performed,  Samuel  had  . 
retired  also.  It  was  the  silent  hour  of  midnight ;  the  Levites 
were  all  asleep ;  the  lights  had  begun  to  grow  dim  in  the  sanc- 
tuary, when  Samuel  is  aroused  by  a  voice  calling  his  name. 
He  goes  at  once  to  the  room  of  the  high  priest,  saying,  "  Here 
am  I."  Three  times  he  was  called,  and  thrice  he  responded 
in  like  manner.  On  none  of  those  occasions  had  Eli  called 
him,  but  the  aged  servant  of  God,  suspecting  that  there  was 
something  supernatural  in  the  voice,  instructed  the  youth  next 
time  he  was  called  to  reply,  "  Speak,  Lord,  for  thy  servant 


SAMUEL,    THE    CONSECRATED    TO    GOD.  205 

heareth."  This  he  did,  and  the  Lord  answered  by  revealing 
to  him  the  fearful  judgment  he  was  about  to  bring  upon  Eli 
and  his  family,  on  account  of  the  wicked  and  sacrilegious 
conduct  of  his  sons. 

Samuel  was  now  in  a  difficult  position.  Eli  had  ever  been  a 
kind  and  loving  friend  to  him  ;  and  he  felt  great  diffidence  in 
communicating  the  awful  revelation  entrusted  to  him.  He  felt 
that  the  burden  of  the  Lord  was  upon  him ;  but  went  about 
his  common  every  day  duties  as  before.  Eli,  however,  sus- 
pected that  he  had  received  some  communication  that  he 
wished  to  keep  back ;  and  solemnly  charged  him  to  tell  him  all 
the  truth.  This  the  young  lad  did,  and  when  the  venerable 
man  heard  the  appalling  sentence  he  meekly  replied :  "  It  is 
the  Lord;  let  him  do  what  seemeth  good  in  his  sight." 

The  threatened  judgment  did  not  tarry  long.  Eli  was  a 
good,  pure,  kind-hearted  man;  as  is  seen  in  all  his  dealings 
with  Hannah  and  her  son.  But  he  had  no  force  of  character; 
he  was  timid,  and  destitute  of  n-ioral  courage.  His  sons,  who 
served  with  him  in  the  sanctuary,  were  vile  men,  profaning  by 
their  conduct  the  house  of  God.  This  he  knew,  and  no  doubt 
mourned  over  the  fact ;  but  he  loved  peace  more  than  purity, 
and  let  matters  go  on  till  his  sons  brought  a  reproach  and  a 
disgrace  upon  the  cause  of  God.  The  great  God  is  now  about 
to  take  the  matter  into  his  own  hands ;  and  Eli  has  not  a  word 
to  say,  but  acknowledges  his  coming  punishment  right  and 
just.  That  the  rebukes  of  the  Almighty  should  fall  upon  him, 
is  only  what  he  feels  that  he  deserves.  Some  men  would  have 
shown  resentment  against  Samuel,  as  the  messenger  of  those 
sad  tidings ;  but  he  loves  the  youth  as  much  as  ever,  and  only 
condemns  himself. 

A  war  breaks  out  between  the  Philistines  and  the  Israelites. 
According  to  custom  the  people  of  Israel  take  the  ark  with 
them — the  symbol  of  Divine  presence.  The  possession  of  that 
sacred  object  used  to  put  fresh  courage  into  their  armies  and 
strike  terror  into  the  hearts  of  their  foes.  But  now  an  alarm- 
ing disaster  befalls  them.  They  flee  before  their  enemies ; 
Eli's  sons  are  both  killed ;  the  ark  is  taken,  and  the  high  priest 


2o6  THE    world's    HOPE. 

dies  under  the  blow  inflicted  upon  him  by  the  sad  tidings ! 
It  is,  indeed,  a  most  affecting  picture,  to  see  that  old  man 
sitting,  watching  and  waiting  for  tidings  from  the  battle  field. 
We  are  told  that  his  heart  trembled  for  the  ark  of  God.  At 
last  he  hears  the  noise  of  the  tumult  of  people ;  one  comes 
running  out  of  the  army,' his  clothes  torn  and  earth  upon  his 
head,  and  tells  Eli  a  tale  of  horror.  His  sons  are  dead — 
great  slaughter  among  the  people — Israel  fleeing  like  fright- 
ened sheep  before  their  foes  ;  and,  worst  of  all,  the  ark  of  God 
taken  !  Ah  !  this  was  more  than  he  could  bear.  We  see  him 
stretch  out  his  trembling  and  palsi^ed  hands ;  the  ghastly  hue 
of  death  comes  over  his  face ;  and,  in  the  touching  language 
of  the  inspired  narrative,  "  He  fell  from  off  the  seat  back- 
ward, by  the  side  of  the  gate,  and  his  neck  brake,  and  he  died ; 
for  he  was  an  old  man,  and  heavy." 

This  whole  narrative  reads  a  most  impressive  lesson  to 
parents  and  guardians  of  youth.  If  we  have  a  restraining 
power  and  fail  to  exercise  it,  so  that  evil  goes  on,  having  too 
little  moral  courage,  or  too  indolent  or  selfish  a  desire  for 
peace,  we  are  held  accountable  for  the  evil  that  occurs.  We 
are  held  to  account  for  evil  that  we  could  have  prevented  in 
others  and  did  not,  as  much  as  for  evil  that  we  directly  do 
ourselves.  Eli  should  have  restrained  his  sons,  by  meekness 
and  gentleness  if  he  could,  but  by  the  most  harsh  and  most 
severe  measures,  if  nothing  else  would  avail.  God  should 
have  been  honored  first  and  above  all ;  if  the  nearest  ^nd  the 
dearest  had  been  turned  out  beggar  upon  the  world.  Here  we 
see  how  one  defect  of  character  may  destroy  the  usefulness  of 
a  good  man.  This  man  was  gentle,  loving,  kind ;  took  a  deep 
interest  in  the  prosperity  of  God's  cause;  had  great  power  in 
prayer ;  and  meekly  bore  the  rebukes  of  the  Lord.  But  he 
had  no  firmness,  and  this  made  his  whole  character  like  a  rope 
of  sand ;  so  that  no  dependence  could  be  put  in  him.  We 
must  add  to  our  faith,  courage ;  that  is,  the  power  to  say  no,  at 
the  right  time  and  at  the  right  place. 

Sin  is  no  trifle.  God  does  not  spare  it  even  in  his  own  dear 
people.     And  if  this   is  the  case  with   them,  oh   sinner  I    what 


SAMUEL,    THE    CONSECRATED    TO    GOD.  207 

will  become  of  you  ?     "  If  these  things  be  done  in  the  green 
tree,  what  shall  be  done  in  the  dry?  " 

Samuel  was  now  the  one  to  whom  the  eyes  of  the  people 
turned.  They  had  been  long  familiar  with  his  wonderful  his- 
tory, and  recent  events  had  pointed  him  out  as  a  chosen 
prophet  of  the  Lord.  "  And  Samuel  grew,  and  the  Lord  was 
with  him,  and  did  let  none  of  his  words  fall  to  the  ground." 
He  found  the  nation  of  Israel  in  a  fearfully  corrupt  state.  The 
sons  of  Eli  had  brought  the  public  worship  of  God  into  disre- 
pute, and  idol  worship  began  to  reappear  and  to  become 
popular.  The  young  prophet  showed  great  zeal  for  the  right ; 
his  voice  was  lifted  up  against  the  abominations  around  him ; 
and  the  trumpet  of  truth,  as  sounded  by  him,  gave  no  uncer- 
tain sound. 

After  Samuel  was  formally  recognized  as  Judge  his  first  act 
was  to  call  an  assembly  of  the  people,  for  fasting  and  prayer 
and  deep  humiliation  before  the  Lord.  He  urged  the  entire 
extirpation  of  idolatry ;  and  promised  the  people  that  if  this 
was  done  the  Lord  would  return  to  them  and  deliver  them 
from  the  oppression  of  the  Philistines.  Their  enemy,  hearing 
of  this  great  meeting,  and  judging  that  it  boded  them  no  good, 
came  up  in  battle  array  against  them.  For  this  they  were  not 
prepared,  and  great  fear  took  hold  of  them.  But  one  thing 
was  favorable.  They  had  learned  to  know  where  their  strength 
lay,  and  said  to  Samuel,  "  Cease  not  to  cry  unto  the  Lord  our 
God  for  us."  God  heard  prayer,  their  enemies  were  driven 
before  them,  and  in  grateful  memory  of  the  event,  Samuel  set 
up  a  stone,  calling  it  Ebenezer,  saying,  "Hitherto  hath  the 
Lord  helped  us." 

Every  Christian  that  has  carefully  noted  the  ways  of  the 
Lord  with  him,  can  raise  up  many  a  joyful  Ebenezer.  It  is  a 
sad  sign  of  our  ingratitude  that  we  are  loud  in  our  cries  for 
help,  when  in  trouble,  but  not  so  loud  in  our  shouts  of  praise 
when  deliverance  comes.  Our  adorable  Lord  said  :  "  Were 
there  not  ten  cleansed,  but  v/here  are  the  nine  V  Only  one 
had  come  back  to  give  thanks  for  his  cure.  To  remember  past 
mercies,  and  draw  from  them  occasion   of  thanksgiving  and  of 


2o8  THE    world's    HOPE. 

encouragement  for  the  future,  is  well  pleasing  to  God.  When 
prayer  has  been  answered,  and  faith  has  gained  a  victory,  we 
should  not  permit  unbelief  to  come  in  with  the  false  insinua- 
tion, that  perhaps  it  was  going  to  happen  as  it  did,  at  any  rate. 
But  let  us  promptly  raise  our  Ebenezers,  leaving  them  all  the 
way  behind  us  as  monuments  of  God's  goodness  and  our 
thankfulness.  Thus  the  righteous  shall  hear  of  it  and  be  glad; 
and  many,  led  by  our  example,  shall  extol  the  God  of  their 
salvation.  If  we  could  realize  that  we  receive  no  good  of  any 
kind  that  we  have  deserved,  that  all  has  been  of  grace,  from 
beginning  to  end,  how  would  thanksgivings  break  forth  from 
our  hearts,  and  shine  forth  in  every  act  of  our  lives ! 

So  far  we  have  marked  in  Samuel  one  prominent  point  of 
character,  that  is,  he  aimed  directly  at  God's  glory  in  all  that 
he  did.'  We  do  not  see  him  seeking  ease,  nor  emoluments,  nor 
honors;  his  grand  aim  was  to  honor  God.  This  is  a  vital 
point  in  true  Godliness ;  and  leads  to  works  of  faith  and  labors 
of  love.  Those  who  have  it  are  always  found  zealous  workers, 
and  that,  too,  from  right  motives.  Let  the  following  fact  illus- 
trate this.  A  dear  boy,  a  Sabbath  school  scholar,  was  dying. 
His  teacher  visited  him,  and  found  one  of  his  classmates  just 
leaving  the  chamber  as  he  entered  it.  It  was  the  only  one  of 
the  class  who  did  not  love  Jesus,  and  the  dying  youth  had 
been  urging  him  to  come  to  the  Savior. 

The  teacher  said,  "  Oh,  I  do  so  want  to  see  H— —  a  Chris- 
tian, and  then  our  band  will  be  complete,  it  will  be  such  a  joy 
to  think  we  shall  all  meet  in  heaven." 

"Yes  it  will,"  said  Arthur,  his  eyes  kindling  at  the  thought, 
*'but  that  is  not  the  best  reason,  teacher,  is  it.?" 

"What  is  the  best  reason,  Arthur.?"  I  asked.  "Why,"  said 
he,  "  Jesus  will  be  so  glad,  because,  you  know,  that  was  what 
he  died  for." 

Soon  after  this  dear  youth  was  taken  away,  but  his  words 
should  be  remembered;  for  they  teach  us  that  the  highest 
reason  for  our  zeal  in  God's  service,  is  not  our  own  happi  ess, 
nor  even  the  happiness  of  others,  but  the  glory  of  God. 

A  soul,  then,  in  earnest  will  speak  to  sinners  in  such  a  way  that 


SAMUEL,    THE    CONSECRATED    TO    GOD.  209 

fhey  7nust  hear  him.  His  whole  heart  will  be  in  his  words.  Dr. 
Ida  has  a  good  illustration  of  this,  which  I  present  to  the  reader. 

"A  traveler  was  journeying  in  the  darkness  of  night  along 
a  road  that  led  to  a  deep  and  rapid  river,  which,  swollen  by  sud- 
den rains,  was  chafing  and  roaring  within  its  precipitous  banks. 
The  bridge  that  crossed  the  stream  had  been  swept  away  by 
the  torrent,  but  he  knew  it  not.  A  man  met  him,  and,  after 
inquiring  whither  he  was  bound,  said  to  him  in  an  indifferent 
way — 

"  Are  you  aware  that  the  bridge  is  gone.?"  "No,"  was  the 
answer,  "  why  do  you  think  so  V  "  Oh,  I  heard  such  a  report 
this  afternoon,  and  though  I  am  not  certain  about  it,  you  had 
better,  perhaps,  not  proceed.' 

Deceived  by  the  hesitating  and  undecided  manner  in  which 
the  information  was  given,  the  traveler  pushed  onward  in  the 
v/ay  of  death.  Soon  another,  meeting  him,  cried  out  in  con- 
sternation— "  Sir,  sir,  the  bridge  is  gone  !" 

"Oh,  yes,"  replied  the  wayfarer,  "some  one  told  me  that 
story  a  little  distance  back ;  but  from  the  careless  tone  with 
which  he  told  it,  I  am  sure  it  is  only  an  idle  tale." 

"Oh,  it  is  true,  it  is  true!"  exclaimed  the  other.  ''I  know 
the  bridge  is  gone,  for  I  barely  escaped  being  carried  away 
with  it  myself.  Danger  is  before  you,  and  you  must  not  go 
on."  And,  in  the  excitement  of  his  feelings,  he  grasped  him 
by  the  hands,  by  the  arms,  by  the  clothes,  and  besought  him 
not  to  rush  upon  manifest  destruction. 

Convinced  by  the  earnest  voice,  the  earnest  eyes,  the  ear- 
nest gestures,  the  traveler  turned  back  and  was  saved.  The 
intelligence  in  both  cases  was  the  same ;  but  the  manner  of  its 
conveyance  in  the  one  gave  it  an  air  of  fable,  in  the  other  an 
air  of  truth. 

So  it  is  only  through  a  burning  zeal  for  the  salvation  of  the 
lost — a  zeal  glowing  in  the  heart,  and  flashing  out  in  the  look, 
and  action,  and  utterance — that  the  confidence  of  unbelief  can 
be  overcome,  and  the  heedless  travelers  of  the  broad  way  come 
to  the  path  of  life  and  happiness.  Love  is  the  most  potent 
logic ;  interest  and  sympathy  are  the  most  subduing  eloquence. 


2IO  THE    WORLDS    HOPE. 

An  earnest  desire  for  the  honor  of  God  will  overcome  cov- 
etousness,  and  make  men  liberal  in  giving  to  the  cause  of 
truth.  A  minister  tells  us  of  a  case  in  point.  "  Many  years 
ago,  happening  to  be  in  South  Wales,  I  made  the  acquaintance 
of  a  Welsh  gentleman.  He  was  then  a  landed  proprietor, 
living  in  his  own  mansion,  and  in  very  comfortable  circum- 
stances. He  had  been  before  carrying  on  an  extensive  busi- 
ness in  a  large  town.  By  the  death  of  a  relative  he  had  unex- 
pectedly come  into  possession  of  this  property.  After  consider- 
ing whether  he  should  retire  from  business,  he  made  up  his 
mind  he  should  still  continue  to  carry  it  on,  though  no  longer 
for  himself,  but  for  Christ.  I  could  not  help  being  struck 
with  the  gleesomeness  of  a  holy  mind  which  lighted  up  his 
countenance  when  he  said:  '  I  never  knew  before  what  real 
happiness  was.  Formerly,  I  sought  as  a  master  to  earn  a  live- 
lihood for  myself,  but  now  I  am  carrying  on  the  same  work  as 
diligently  as  if  for  myself,  and  even  more  so,  but  it  is  now  for 
Christ,  and  every  half-penny  of  profit  is  handed  over  to  the 
treasury  of  the  Lord,  and  I  feel  that  the  smile  of  the  Savior 
rests  upon  me.'  " 

Samuel  is  growing  old.  His  two  sons,  whom  he  had  called 
to  his  assistance  as  Judges,  did  not  show  the  incorruptible  in- 
tegrity of  their  father.  One  day,  to  his  great  surprise,  the 
elders  of  Israel  came  to  him  at  Ramah,  and  desired  that  a 
king  should  be  appointed  over  them.  This  request  was  not 
made  from  a  sudden  impulse,  but  seems  to  have  been  the  re- 
sult of  long  deliberation  and  consultation.  They  proceed 
with  great  delicacy  in  breaking  the  matter  to  the  prophet ;  and 
Were  careful  to  let  him  understand  that  they  had  no  fault  to 
find  with  his  administration.  This  request  was  not  at  all 
pleasing  to  Samuel.  He  seems  to  have  felt  it,  to  some  extent, 
as  a  personal  reflection  upon  himself.  And  yet  though  he 
thus  felt,  he  says  nothing  till  he  could  lay  the  whole  matter  be- 
fore the  Lord.  Oh  that  all  God's  servants  would  act  thus 
wisely  !  One  angry  word,  one  bitter  taunt,  at  this  time,  might 
have  done  great  mischief.  Blessed  are  the  people  who  carry 
their  troubles  and  their  cares  to  the  Lord. 


SAMUEL,    THE    CONSECRATED    TO    GOD.  211 

The  answer  that  Samuel  received  was,  to  let  the  people  have 
such  a  government  as.  they  chose,  but  to  warn  them  that  they 
would  involve  themselves  in  trouble  and  in  a  very  bitter  expe- 
rience. The  Lord,  in  a  measure,  rebuked  the  personal  feel- 
ing which  the  prophet  had  upon  the  subject,  by  saying, 
"  They  have  not  rejected  thee,  but  they  have  rejected  me." 
In  the  days  of  their  highest  prosperity  they  professed  to  take 
Jehovah  as  their  king ;  but  now  they  are  disposed  to  turn  to  an 
arm  of  flesh.  God's  words  are,  "  Cursed  is  he  that  trusteth  in 
man,  and  maketh  flesh  his  arm  ;"  and  the  Israelites  felt  the  truth 
of  this  in  all  its  force.  Hosea  tells  us  that  "the  Lord  gave  them 
a  king  in  His  wrath."  They  wanted  to  be  like  the  nations 
around  them,  forgetting  that  if  they  got  all  the  glitter,  and 
pomp,  and  parade  of  majesty,  they  were  very  likely  to  get  all  its 
despotic  and  tyrannical  abuse  also.  Heretofore  they  had  been 
under  a  very  mild  rule,  but  unlimited  power  has  a  tendency 
to  make  an  oppressor  of  even  a  good  man.  Such  power  is 
only  fit  for  God  himself;  he  alone  makes  a  good  use  of  it. 

It  had  been  foretold,  that  a  line  of  kings  would  rise  in  Israel. 
It  was  part  of  the  promise  to  Abraham,  that  kings  should 
spring  from  him,  and  Jacob  had  predicted  that  the  scepter 
should  not  depart  from  Judah  till  Shiloh  came.  But, 
though  God  foreknows  what  is  going  to  occur,  and  may  fore- 
tell it,  this  does  not  imply  that  he  approves  it.  Samuel  drew  a 
very  graphic  picture  of  what  they  might  expect  under  the 
reign  of  a  king,  and  the  oppressions  to  which  they  were  likely 
to  be  subjected.  This  was  not  favorably  received,  for  the  peo- 
ple replied,  "  Nay,  but  we  will  have  a  king  over  us,  that  he  may 
judge  us,  and  go  out  before  us  to  battle."  The  prophet  felt 
that  he  could  do  no  more  to  dissuade  them  from  their  purpose, 
and  sorrowfully  proceeded  to  make  the  necessary  arrange- 
ments for  the  great  governmental  change. 

With  the  utmost  fairness  Samuel  proceeded  to  the  nomina- 
tion of  the  king,  so  that  no  one  could  accuse  him  of  favorit- 
ism. At  Mizpeh,  the  assembled  tribes  made  their  choice  by 
lot.  Saul,  the  son  of  Kish,  was  the  individual  pointed  out. 
It  would  seem  that  he  had  no  ambition  in  that  direction ;  was 


212  THE    WORLDS    HOPE. 

afraid  to  encounter  the  great  responsibility  of  such  a  position, 
and  would  have  prefered  to  remain  in  the  humble  and  obscure 
condition  in  which  he  was  born.  Accordingly  he  had 
withdrawn  himself  from  notice,  being  hid  among  the  baggage. 
Perhaps  he  thought  that  if  not  found,  they  would  go  on  and 
elect  another ;  but  he  was  soon  discovered  and  brought  before 
the  people.  All  eyes  were  turned  upon  him  with  pride,  for 
he  had  a  tall,  noble  form  that  towered  up  above  the  crowd,  and 
a  majestic  presence.  He  was  saluted  with  a  shout  of  admi- 
ration. 

This  being  the  beginning  of  a  constitutional  monarchy, 
Samuel  took  great  care  to  secure  the  liberties  of  the  people. 
He  not  only  addressed  them  upon  the  subject,  but  committed 
the  whole  matter  to  writing,  which  document,  we  are  told,  was 
laid  up  before  the  Lord. 

Samuel  now  felt  that  his  work  was  nearly  done,  and  he  took 
the  opportunity  of  a  great  gathering  of  the  people  at  Gilgal 
to  deliver  his  farewell  address.  There  was  the  king  elevated 
to  power,  and  having  just  obtained  a  great  victory  on  the 
field,  the  prophet  began  his  address  in  very  touching  terms : 
"  And  now,  behold,  the  king  walketh  before  you,  and  I  am  old 
and  gray  headed;  and  behold,  my  sons  are  with  you,  and  I 
have  walked  before  you  from  my  childhood  unto  this  day." 
He  then  appealed  to  the  people  as  to  his  integrity  as  a  judge. 
When  had  he  ever  taken  a  bribe,  or  displayed  favoritism  in 
the  administration  of  justice  ?  The  people  with  one  voice  tes- 
tified to  his  strictly  honorable  and  upright  conduct.  He 
takes  a  rapid  glance  at  their  past  history,  showing  from  it  God's 
goodness  and  their  ingratitude.  He  then  urges  them  to  a  holy 
life,  and  in  great  faithfulness  said,  "  But  if  ye  shall  still  do 
wickedly,  ye  shall  be  consumed,  both  you  and  your  king." 
Then  solemnly  lifting  up  his  hands  to  heaven,  the  thunder 
rolled  out  in  wild  crashes,  as  if  the  voice  of  God  was  giving 
confirmation  to  his  words. 

Thus  Samuel  retired  from  his  public  duties  as  a  magistrate, 
but  still  retained  his  office  as  prophet  of  the  Lord.  In  conse- 
quence of  Saul's  constant  disregard   of  God's  will,  Samuel  is 


SAMUEL,    THE    CONSECRATED    TO    GOD.  213 

commanded  to  anoint  David,  the  son  of  Jesse,  king  in  his  stead. 
The  best  men  have  their  seasons  of  timidity  and  unbelief,  and 
Samuel  showed,  on  this  occasion,  that  he  was  no  exception  to 
the  rule.  He  was  afraid  of  the  wrath  of  Saul,  and  very  reluc- 
tantly obeyed  the  command  of  the  Lord.  When  he  came  to 
the  house  of  Jesse  he  first  offered  a  solemn  sacrifice,  and  then 
had  the  sons  of  the  household  brought  before  him.  The 
eldest  son,  Eliab,  was  tall  in  person,  and  of  a  noble  counte- 
nance, and  he  thought  that  he  must  be  the  one  chosen  for 
king ;  but  the  Lord  rebuked  him  in  these  words,  "  Look  not 
on  his  countenance,  nor  on  the  height  of  his  stature,  for  I 
have  refused  him ;  for  the  Lord  seeth  not  as  man  seeth,  for 
man  looketh  on  the  outward  appearance,  but  the  Lord  looketh 
on  the  heart."  How  solemn  is  this  thought  !  If  kept  in 
remembeance,  how  would  it  demolish  the  shams  and  hypoc- 
risies of  the  world. 

Seven  more  sons  did  Jesse  pass  before  the  man  of  God,  but 
none  of  them  were  accepted.  David,  the  youngest,  was  in 
the  fields  keeping  sheep ;  he  was  sent  for,  and  the  moment  he 
appeared  the  prophet  anointed  him  king,  in  the  presence  of 
his  brethren.  Samuel  died  in  Ramah,  amid  the  lamentations 
of  the  whole  nation.  His  was  a  noble  character,  the  honor  of 
God  and  the  good  of  his  fellow-men  forming  the  ruling  mo- 
tive of  his  life.  Early  did  he  give  his  heart  to  God,  and  served 
him  with  untarnished  reputation  through  all  his  long  life. 
When  he  was  taken  away  every  family  felt  as  if  a  father  had 
departed,  and  tears  of  honest  grief  and  affection  watered  his 
last  resting  place. 

"  Blessed  are  the  dead  that  die  in  the  Lord  ;  they  rest  from 
their  labors,  and  their  works  do  follow  them."  That  blessed- 
ness surely  rested  upon  the  departure  of  the  righteous 
Samuel. 

"  Hush'd  was  the  evening  hymn, 

The  temple  courts  were  dark 
The  lamp  was  burning  dim 

Before  the  sacred  ark  ; 
When  suddenly  a  voice  divine 

Rang  through  the  silence  of  the  shrine. 


£14 


THE    WORLD  S    HOPE. 

"  The  old  man,  meek  and  mild, 

The  priest  of  Israel,  slept; 
His  watch  the  temple-child, 

The  little  Levite,  kept; 
And  what  from  Eli's  sense  was  seal'd, 

The  Lord  to  Hannah's  son  reveal'd 

"  O,  give  me  Samuel's  ear! 
The  open  ear,  O  Lord  ! 
Alive  and  quick  to  hear 

Each  whisper  of  Thy  word  ; 
Like  him  to  answer  at  Thy  call, 
And  to  obey  Thee  first  of  all. 

* 
"  O,  give  me  Samuel's  heart ! 
A  lowly  heart,  that  waits 
Where  in  Thy  house  Thou  art, 

Or  watches  at  thy  gates  : 
By  day  and  night,  a  heart  that  still 
Moves  at  the  breathing  of  Thy  will. 

"  O,  give  me  Samuel's  mind  ! 

A  sweet  unmurmuring  faith, 
Obedient  and  resigned 

To  Thee  in  life  and  death  ; 
That  I  may  read,  with  childlike  eyes, 

Truths  that  are  hidden  from  the  v/ilS." 


DAVID,    THE    ROYAL    PROPHET.  215 


CHAPTER  XV, 
DAVID,  THE  ROYAL  PROPHET. 

The  birth-place  of  those  who  are  to  become  great  and  dis- 
tinguished attracts  to  it  a  world-wide  attention.  Bethlehem 
was  but  a  small  and  insignificant  place  in  itself;  but  it  was 
honored  to  be  the  birth-place  of  David,  the  greatest  of  Israel's 
kings,  and  of  Jesus,  the  King  of  kings  and  Lord  of  lords. 
David's  early  years  were  spent  in  the  humble  employment  of 
a  shepherd.  In  those  days  this  was  an  occupation  that  required 
great  courage  and  activity,  to  defend  the  flocks  from  wild  beasts. 
The  sheep  had  often  to  be  driven  far  from  home,  amid  rugged 
scenery  of  surpassing  grandeur.  Sometimes,  for  months  at  a 
time,  the  shepherds  would  be  absent  from  their  homes,  left  to 
the  company  of  their  own  thoughts,  and  communion  with  God 
through  his  own  glorious  works. 

From  his  very  childhood  David  had,  no  doubt,  been  taught 
the  fear  of  the  Lord.  The  soul-stirring  truths  which  God  had 
spoken  to  his  fathers,  and  the  mighty  wonders  which  he  had 
wrought  out  before  their  eyes,  had  all  been  told  him  by  his 
pious  father,  again  and  again,  and  led  him  early  to  choose  the 
God  of  his  fathers  as  his  God.  While  attending  upon  his 
flocks,  the  thoughts  in  that  lovely  psalm  beginning  with  "  The 
Lord  is  my  Shepherd,"  must  have  often  passed  through  his 
mind.  When  he  had  been  driven  into  the  caves  of  the  rocky 
mountains  by  a  passing  thunder  storm,  we  can  imagine  that  we 
see  him  raising  his  voice  till  it  mingled  with  the  roar  of  the 
mountain  torrent,  saying :  "  The  voice  of  the  Lord  is  upon  the 
wr.ters ;  the  God  of  glory  thundereth ;  the  Lord  is  upon  many 
waters ;  the  voice  of  the  Lord  shaketh  the  wilderness ;  the 
Lord  shaketh  the  wilderness  of  Kedesh."  Many  an  evening 
after  he  had  folded  his  flocks,  he  would  look  to  the  heavens, 
shining  in  their  starry  glory,  and  sing  in  a  rapture  of  devout 


2l6  THE    world's    HOPE. 

gladness,  "  The  heavens  declare  the  glory  of  God,  and  the 
firmament  showeth  his  handiwork."  His  writings  show  that 
he  was  a  lover  of  God's  works,  and  w^as  fond  of  listening  to 
their  teaching ;  and  no  doubt  he  often  watched  his  flocks,  and 
sang  his  song  of  praise  on  the  very  same  spot  where  the  angel 
host  sang  the  commg  of  the  world's  Redeemer  in  words  wor- 
thy of  their  harps,  saying,  "  Glory  to  God  in  the  highest,  and 
on  earth  peace,  good  will  towards  men." 

It  has  often  been  remarked  how  faithfully  the  Bible  depicts 
the  faults  of  the  great  men  whose  biographies  it  records.  It 
does  not  attempt  to  glorify  men,  by  picturing  them  as  perfect, 
but  to  glorify  the  grace  of  God  in  saving  sinful  men,  like  our- 
selves, from  the  wrath  to  come.  It  has  been  common  for  infi- 
dels to  point  to  David's  great  sins,  and  to  ask  sneeringly,  if 
that  is  the  man  after  God's  own  heart.  But  when  was  David 
after  God's  heart  .'^  Not  when  he  was  sinning;  for  then  the 
fierce  displeasure  of  the  Lord  was  kindled  against  him,  and 
severe  punishments  were  let  loose  from  the  hand  of  Jehovah 
against  him.  If  he  was  a  great  sinner  he  was  also  a  great  peni- 
tent, and  it  was  when  he  saw  and  abhorred  his  sin  as  God  did 
that  he  was  after  God's  heart.  He  and  God  were  of  one  mind 
about  sin,  and  about  the  free  grace  that  can  alone  save  from  it ; 
and  so  they  could  walk  together. 

Why  do  those  who  talk  so  much  about  his  sins,  say  not  a  sin- 
gle word  about  his  repentance  ?  Why  do  not  they  imitate  him  as 
a  penitent,  and  not  as  a  sinner.?  It  is  because  they  are  not 
honest  readers  of  the  Bible,  but  are  only  seeking  an  excuse  for 
their  sins.  Where  can  we  find  such  deep  anguish,  such  heart- 
rending sorrow  for  sin,  as  we  see  in  the  religious  experience  of 
David  ?  Hark  !  How  he  cries  as  he  sinks  into  the  great 
depths  of  distress,  and  the  pains  of  hell  get  hold  upon  his  tremb- 
ling soul.  His  tears  were  his  food,  night  and  day;  he  wets  his 
pillow  with  his  tears,  and  his  spirit,  smitten  by  the  displeasure 
of  the  Almighty,  cries  out,  "  Pardon  my  iniquities,  for  they  are 
great."  Ah !  yes,  he  is  scourged  as  with  a  whip  of  scorpions, 
for  his  sins ;  till  at  last  we  see  the  loving  hand  of  God  lifting 
him  up  out  of  the  horrible  pit  of  despair  in  which  he  lay,  and 


DAVID,  THE  ROYAL  PROPHET.  217 

putting  his  feet  upon  a  rock,  even  the  Rock  of  Salvation,  put- 
ting a  new  song  in  his  mouth. 

In  the  last  chapter  we  have  spoken  of  Samuel  as  anointing 
David  king ;  but  Saul  is  not  yet  dead,  and  the  young  man  goes 
on  with  his  humble  duties,  assured  that  God  will  call  him  out 
into  notice  when  he  wants  him.  Nor  had  he  long  to  wait. 
The  hour  was  at  hand  that  was  to  bring  him  prominently  be- 
fore the  whole  nation.  Saul's  army,  and  that  of  the  Philistines 
are  lying  opposite  to  each  other  in  battle  array.  David's 
brothers  are  with  the  army,  and  his  father  sends  him  with  pro- 
visions to  them. 

We  see  this  youth  going  towards  the  camp  in  his  plain  shep- 
herd dress.  To  look  upon  him  as  he  moves  along,  who  would 
suppose  him  to  be  the  man  chosen  of  God  to  deliver  Israel, 
and  stand  before  the  world  in  towering  greatness  down  to  the 
end  of  time  ?  But  thus  it  is  in  every  great  revolution  in  the 
affairs  of  men.  The  man  for  the  occasion  is  raised  up  to  do 
the  work  of  the  day ;  but  he  is  seldom  such  a  person  as  men 
in  their  wisdom  would  have  chosen.  Generally  taken  from 
humble  and  obscure  positions;  simple  and  unassuming  in 
their  manners ;  they  yet  show  in  great  results,  that  they  have 
been  raised  up  by  God  to  accomplish  their  special  work. 
How  clearly  has  this  been  seen  in  the  raising  up  of  such  men 
as  Lincoln  and  Grant,  in  the  great  rebellion.  But  to  proceed 
with  our  narrative.  As  David  drew  near  to  the  army  he  heard 
the  shouting  of  the  hosts,  as  if  a  battle  was  about  to  begin. 
This  quickens  his  young  blood,  and  with  throbbing  heart  he 
pressed  forward. 

Just  as  he  arrives  a  mighty  champion  comes  forth  from  the 
army  of  the  enemy,  with  a  bold  and  insulting  defiance  to  all 
Israel  to  meet  him  in  single  combat.  Goliath  was  a  man  of 
gigantic  proportions  and  was  clad  in  a  complete  armor  of 
brass.  His  weapons  were  of  great  size,  and  David  was  told 
this  challenge  he  had  put  forth  day  by  day  for  some  time,  but 
as  yet  it  remained  unanswered.  David's  cheek  burned  with 
the  blush  of  shame,  that  this  infidel  should  be  so  long  allowed 
to  triumph   over  the  chosen  people  of  God.     His  patriotism 


2l8  THE    WORLDS    HOPE 

and  his  piety  were  alike  shocked.  It  was  having  a  most 
depressing  effect  upon  the  army,  and  Saul  had  offered  large 
rewards  to  any  one  who  would  meet  this  bold  boaster,  David  i^ 
prepared  to  meet  him,  not  forgetting  the  great  strength  of  his 
antagonist,  but  trusting  in  the  God  of  Israel.  His  words  are 
indicative  of  a  faith  beautiful  in  its  simplicity  :  "  The  Lord  that 
delivered  me  out  of  the  paw  of  the  lion,  and  out  of  the  paw  of 
the  bear,  he  will  deliver  me  out  of  the  hand  of  this  Philistine." 

Saul  hears  of  this  daring  youth  and  wishes  to  see  him.  Per- 
haps he  expected  to  see  one  of  the  largest,  bravest,  and  long- 
tried  heroes  of  his  army ;  but  instead  of  that  there  stands  be- 
fore him  a  beardless  youth  of  eighteen  years.  He  seeks  to 
turn  him  from  his  brave  purpose,  but  the  youth  remains  firm 
in  his  determination  to  meet  his  vaunting  foe ;  and  Saul  gives 
his  consent  in  the  words,  "  Go,  and  the  Lord  be  with  thee." 

The  moment,  big  with  great  results,  has  come.  The  trumpet 
sounds  and  its  clear  notes  echo  among  the  hills.  A  solemn 
silence  ensues.  Down  into  the  valley  steps  the  man  of  giant 
strength,  clad  in  glittering  armor,  and  the  slender  youth,  with 
his  sling  and  a  few  stones  from  the  brook,  as  his  only  weapons. 
But  with  undaunted  and  calm  spirit  the  young  hero  goes 
forth,  his  trust  in  God,  and  knowing  that  "the  race  is  not  to 
the  swift,  nor  the  battle  to  the  strong."  Ah  !  little  did  Jesse  know 
the  danger  in  which  his  darling  boy  was  standing  at  that  mo- 
ment, and  what  mighty  results  were  depending  upon  him. 
What  were  the  feelings  of  his  three  brothers  we  cannot  tell. 
A  shout  of  contempt  comes  from  the  army  of  the  Philistines 
as  they  look  on  the  fair  boy,  and  contrast  him  with  their  great 
champion. 

But  see,  the  two  combatants  advance ;  the  anxiety  in  the 
vast  multitude  is  intense.  It  is  not  a  moment  for  words ;  and 
strong  men,  and  brave  warriors  stand  almost  breathless  with 
suspense.  The  little  hero  puts  a  stone  in  his  sling,  and  swing- 
ing it  rapidly  around  his  head,  it  is  propelled  through  the  air 
with  unerring  aim,  and  smites^  the  proud  boaster  dead.  He 
fell,  like  some  giant  tree  of  the  forest,  the  vaster  its  growth 
the  more  terrible  the  resounding  downfall.     Terror-stricken 


DAVID,    THE    ROYAL    PROPHET.  219 

the  Philistines  turn  and  flee,  while  the  hosts  of  Israel  shout 
forth  the  joy  of  their  hearts  in  praise  of  the  young  victor. 
The  victory  is  complete,  and  the  future  king  is  favorably  intro- 
duced to  his  people 

Let  us  remember  that  we  have  a  spiritual  battle  to  fight  with 
a  powerful  enemy.  As  in  the  case  of  David,  the  odds  are  to 
all  appearance  against  us.  Our  adversary,  the  devil,  is  skill- 
ful and  practiced  in  this  spiritual  warfare.  He  comes  to  us 
armed  with  infernal  weapons  and  hellish  darts,  and  the  struggle 
is  for  eternal  life  or  death.  We  must  go  forth  to  meet  him 
with  faith  as  our  only  weapon,  and  the  Lord  of  Hosts  as 
our  only  defence.  Thus  resisting,  he  will  flee  from  us.  In 
like  manner  the  world  is  a  foe  to  grace,  and  we  are  not  able  to 
overcome  it  in  our  own  strength.  Some  one  said  to  Luther, 
"  The  world  is  against  you  ;"  to  which  he  replied,  "  Then  I  am 
against  the  world."  Faith  can  thus  overcome  the  world — faith 
in  the  blood  of  Jesus.  This  blessed  gospel  was  preached  in 
paradise,  was  sealed  by  the  blood  of  Abel,  was  rejoiced  in  by 
patriarchs,  preached  by  prophets  and  apostles,  and  died  for 
by  innumerable  maityrs.  Let  us  hold  it  fast,  and  it  will  bring 
Us  off  more  than  conquerors  over  all  our  foes. 

David  lay  down  the  head  of  the  Philistine  at  the  feet  of  Saul, 
and  is  called  to  give  an  account  of  his  family.  That  day  he 
was  introduced  into  the  court  and  entered  upon  all  the  perils 
and  dangers  of  public  life.  That  day  he  gained  much  fame, 
much  honor,  but  he  got  one  of  heaven's  best  blessings — a  irue 
friend.  Saul's  son,  Jonathan,  loved  him  as  his  own  soul.  It 
is  most  delightful  to  contemplate  the  sweet,  constant  friend- 
ship that  from  that  day  existed  between  these  young  men.  It 
was  a  heartfelt  sympathy  and  ardent  love  that  never  wavered, 
but  grew  in  strength  day  by  day,  till  death  separated  them 
from  each  other  on  earth,  and  now  it  is  perpetuated  in  richer 
perfection  in  heaven.  What  a  blessing  to  earth  true  friendship 
is!  It  is,  indeed,  a  relic  of  paradise,  come  down  to  us  from 
amid  the  ruins  of  the  fall.  Of  it  Robert  Hall  says,  "  It  is  a 
treasure  possessed  when  it  is  not  employed ;  a  reserve  of 
strength,  ready  to  be  called  into  action  when  most  needed ;  a 


220  THE    WORLD  S    HOPE. 

fountain  of  sweets  to  which  we  may  continually  repair,  whose 
waters  are  inexhaustible." 

There  is  nothing  more  touching  in  poetry  or  eloquence,  than 
David's  lament  when  his  friend  died.  It  is  a  wail  of  anguish 
that  has  come  down  to  us  through  all  these  ages,  and  that  still 
starts  the  sympathetic  tear.  "  How  are  the  mighty  fallen  in 
the  midst  of  the  battle  !  O  Jonathan,  thou  wast-slain  in  thine 
high  places.  I  am  distressed  for  thee,  my  brother  Jonathan  ! 
very  pleasant  hast  thou  been  unto  me;  thy  love  to  me  was 
wonderful,  passing  the  love  of  women."  David  never  forgot 
this  dear  friend.  Long  afterwards  he  takes  his  son,  an  afflicted 
youth  under  his  protection,  and  treated  him  as  his  own  son. 
"  Fear  not,  for  I  will  surely  show  thee  kindness,  for  Jonathan, 
thy  father's  sake." 

It  is  a  difficult  thing,  in  this  fallen  world,  to  find  such  true 
friendship.  And  yet  there  is  a  strong  craving  in  'our  nature 
after  it.  There  is  one  true  friend  who  will  never  disappoint 
us ;  it  is  the  Lord  Jesus,  who  will  never  leave  nor  forsake  us, 
and  who  sticketh  closer  than  a  brother.  Born  for  adversity, 
when  others  forsake  us,  he  comes  nearer  in  the  warmth  of  a 
love  that  is  to  live  forever.  David  had  no  way  of  repaying  the 
love  of  his  friend,  except  in  the  person  of  his  son  ;  so  the  dear 
Friend  that  died  for  us,  is  now  in  glory ;  his  sorrows  are  for- 
ever ended,  but  there  is  one  way  in  which  we  can  show  our 
love,  that  is  by  showing  love  to  the  poor  and  afflicted  among 
his  people.  These  are  dear  to  his  heart ;  they  are  as  the  apple 
of  his  eye,  and  when  we  seek  them  out,  feed  them,  clothe  them, 
and  cheer  them  with  our  sympathy,  Jesus  looks  down  from  his 
lofty  seat  in  the  heavens  well  pleased,  and  says,  "  Inasmuch  as 
ye  have  done  it  unto  one  of  the  least  of  these,  my  brethren,  ye 
have  done  it  unto  me." 

We  come  now  to  consider  David  as  in  adversity  and  passing 
through  the  deep  waters  of  affliction.  After  the  splendid 
achievement  of  the  overthrow  of  the  champion  of  the  Philis- 
tines, he  is  taken  into  Saul's  household,  as  one  of  his  chief 
captains.  This  strange  man  "professed  great  friendship  for 
him,  but  it  was  not  of  long  continuance.     He  was  one  of  those 


DAVID,    THE    ROYAL    PROPHET.  221 

weak,  passionate,  impulsive  characters,  who  are  warm  friends 
or  bitter  enemies,  and  may  be  both  in  the  same  day.  A  warm, 
ardent  temperament,  joined  to  a  weak  mind  and  an  ambitious 
spirit,  makes  a  hard  case  to  live  at  peace  with ;  and  such  was 
Saul.  A  circumstance  occurs  that  awakens  against  David  his 
rancorous  hate.  When  returning  from  the  battle-field,  and 
passing  throu^gh  the  cities,  the  army  was  received  with  shouts 
of  welcome  by  the  populace.  Far  and  wide,  from  mouth  to 
mouth,  had  spread  the  news  of  the  great  victory.  Bands  of 
patriotic  women  met  them  with  songs  of  gladness,  the  burden 
of  which  was,  "  Saul  has  slain  his  thousands,  but  David  his 
tens  of  thousands."  Unfortunate  words!  They  stir  to  its 
depths  all  the  malignity  and  hate,  and  murderous  revenge  of 
his  nature ;  and  from  that  time  till  his  death  he  became  the 
deadly  enemy  of  the  young  hero.  Repeatedly  he  attempts  his 
life  in  a  manner  most  sneaking  and  cowardly.  David  has  to 
flee  from  the  court,  and  can  find  no  rest  from  his  inveterate 
enemy  anywhere.  Go  where  he  will  he  is  pursued  and  at- 
tacked. Well  may  it  be  said,  "  Jealousy  is  cruel  as  the  grave." 
Alas  !  how  uncertain  are  earthly  honors.  The  great  deliv- 
erer of  Israel,  the  man  who  but  lately  stood  highest  in  favor  at 
court  and  with  the  people,  has  now  to  flee  from  the  habitations 
of  men  as  if  he  were  a  criminal,  and  has  to  hide  himself  in 
holes  and  caves  of  the  earth.  How  does  he  stand  these  trials .? 
For  the  most  part  of  his  time  his  trust  is  in  God,  and  he  tri- 
umphs over  his  trials.  At  other  times  he  sinks  into  unworthy 
expedients  to  get  out  of  his  troubles,  and  giving  way  to  dark 
thoughts  and  unbelieving  fears,  says,  "  I  shall  one  day  perish 
by  the  hand  of  my  enemy."  This  language  was  unworthy  of 
one  for  whom  God  had  done  so  much,  and  who  knew  so  well 
the  faithfulness  of  the  promises.  But  thus  it  is  with  us  all. 
There  is  a  constant  struggle  going  on,  the  flesh  pulling  one  way, 
the  spirit  of  truth  the  other;  now  faith  prevailing,  and  then 
unbelief,  till  we  seem  like  two  different  persons  at  different 
times,  according  to  the  influence  prevailing.  Alas !  How 
sinful  is  this  state  of  things,  and  how  much  do  we  need  the 
services  of  the  Great  Advocate  to  plead  for  us. 


222  THE    WORLDS    HOPE. 

During  his  exile  a  circumstance  occurs  that  shows  the  for- 
giving spirit  of  David.  Saul,  in  chasing  him  among  the  moun- 
tains, has  gone  into  a  cave  and  fallen  asleep.  In  that  state 
David  found  him,  and  had  it  in  his  power  to  take  his  life.  To 
this  he  was  tempted  by  many  strong  inducements  ;  but  he 
nobly  resisted  them  all,  and  only  cut  off  a  portion  of  his  ene- 
my's garment  that  he  might  know  that  he  had  been  in  his 
power. 

The  effect  of  this  act  of  forbearance  upon  Saul  was,  for  a 
time,  most  wonderful.  His  hard  heart  was  touched  ;  he  melted 
into  tears  ;  the  generous  kindness  of  the  youth  he  had  so  much 
injured  smote  his  soul  with  regret  for  the  past,  and  he  prom- 
ised amendment  for  the  future.  But  no  confidence  could  be 
put  in  his  promises.  From  impulsive  natures  like  his,  a  sud- 
den outbreak  of  good  feeling  sometimes  shows  itself  like  sparks 
of  fire  struck  out  of  the  cold,  hard  flint,  but  it  is  soon  gone 
and  their  habitual  state  of  mind  returns  again.  Thus  it  was 
with  Saul.  His  persecutions  soon  become  as  relentless  as  ever. 
But  his  last  hour  comes.  He  enters  his  last  battle,  in  which 
all  goes  against  him.  His  three  sons  are  slain,  the  day  is  lost, 
and  to  avoid  the  disgrace  of  being  taken,  this  strange  child  of 
passion  kills  himself  with  his  own  sword. 

And  now  a  change  takes  place  with  the  son  of  Jesse.  His 
wanderings  for  the  present  are  over,  and  the  bright  sun  of 
prosperity,  coming  from  under  the  cloud,  shines  upon  his 
head.  I  believe  it  was  Luther  who  said  that  always  before 
being  called  to  perform  any  high  and  honorable  work  for  God 
he  was  made  to  pass  through  severe  afflictions  of  some  kind. 
David  had  long  known  trouble,  now  he  comes  forth  from  the 
hiding-place  of  the  cave  to  the  throne  and  the  crown.  After 
twelve  years  of  trouble  and  incessant  persecution,  he  is  called 
by  the  voice  of  the  people  to  the  high  position  of  Israel's  king. 

He  was  now  in  the  full  vigor  of  young  manhood,  and  few 
kings  have  ever  mounted  the  throne  with  richer  endowments, 
both  spiritual  and  physical.  Long  accustomed  to  toil  and 
danger,  the  earth  for  his  bed  and  the  heavens  for  his  covering, 
he   is  not  likely  to  let  the  affairs  of  the  nation  be  neglected 


DAVID,    THE    ROYAL    PROPHET  223 

through  effeminate  habits,  as  many  have  done.  He  has  been 
taught  in  a  stern  school  the  instability  of  all  earthy  things,  and 
that  God  is  the  sovereign  Ruler  among  the  nations  of  the  earth. 
When  established  in  power,  the  first  thing  he  did  was  to 
drive  out  a  small  remnant  of  the  Canaanites  that  were  still 
in  the  land.  The  Jebusites  had  possession  of  a  city  which 
they  considered  impregnable,  and  insultingly  defied  David  to 
take  it.  He  did  take  it,  and  after  repairing  the  fort  and  en- 
larging the  wall  he  made  it  the  capital  of  his  kingdom.  This 
was  Jerusalem,  though  then  called  the  city  of  David.  It  is 
the  oldest  existing  city  in  the  world,  and  no  other  has  such 
stirring  and  solemn  memories  connected  with  it.  It  has  been 
five  times  taken  in  bloody  conflict,  and  twice  has  it  been  lev- 
eled to  the  ground.  Here  he  erected  for  himself  a  palace, 
and  when  it  was  completed  it  was  dedicated  by  that  song  of 
praise  which  we  find  in  the  thirtieth  Psalm,  "  O  Lord,  thou  hast 
brought  up  my  soul  from  the  grave ;  thou  hast  kept  me  alive 
that  I  should  not  go  down  to  the  pit.  Sing  unto  the  Lord,  O 
ye  saints  of  his,  and  give  thanks  at  the  remembrance  of  his 
holiness.  For  his  anger  endureth  but  a  moment ;  in  his  favor 
is  life ;  weeping  may  endure  for  a  night,  but  joy  cometh  in  the 
morning." 

What  a  glorious  hope  is  that  of  the  Christian  !  His  troubles 
shall  soon  be  ended,  and  a  crown  and  throne  far  more  splen- 
did than  David's  shall  be  his.  He  shall  have  a  palace,  too, 
not  made  with  hands,  but  eternal  in  the  heavens.  O  what  a 
glorious,  sweet,  lovely  home  !  Read  a  description  of  the  happy 
condition  of  those  that  live  there,  and  long  for  the  hour  that 
shall  bid  you  enter  its  Joys.  "  They  shall  hunger  no  more, 
nor  thirst  any  more,  nor  shall  the  sun  light  on  them,  nor  any 
heat,  for  the  Lamb,  who  is  in  the  midst  of  the  throne,  shall 
feed  them,  and  lead  them  to  living  fountains  of  water." 
What  a  sweet  promise  is  that  which  is  given  us :  "  God  shall 
wipe  away  all  tears  from  their  eyes."  This  hope,  nay,  this 
blessed  certainty,  may  well  fill  us  with  joy  unspeakable,  even  in 
a  world  which  sin  has  made  a  vale  of  tears. 

David  now  began  to  make  preparation  for  bringing  the  ark 


224  THE    WORLD'S    HOPE. 

of  God  to  Jerusalem.  It  was  a  solemn  procession  and  had  a 
most  important  meaning.  It  was  God  taking  up  his  abode 
among  them.  And  as  the  ark  moved  on  through  the  assem- 
bled thousands,  amid  shouts  of  joy  and  the  sounding  of  trumpets, 
we  are  reminded  of  what  happened  ages  after,  when  God  man- 
ifested in  the  flesh  walked  in  those  same  streets  amid  the 
waving  of  palm  branches,  and  cries  of  "  Hosanna  to  the  son 
of  David."  As  the  procession  came  up  the  slope  of  Mount 
Zion,  the  singers  sang  the  sixty-eighth  Psalm.  "  This  is  the 
hill  which  God  desireth  to  dwell  in ;  yea,  the  Lord  will  dwell 
in  it  forever."  And  when  it  arrived  at  the  resting-place  of  the 
ark,  the  singers  broke  out  into  that  sublime  dialogue  in  the 
twenty-fourth  Psalm.  "  Lift  up  your  heads,  O  ye  gates  ;  and 
be  ye  lifted  up,  ye  everlasting  doors ;  the  king  of  glory  shall 
come  in.  Who  is  this  king  of  glory  ?  The  Lord  of  hosts  ; 
he  is  the  king  of  glory." 

About  this  time  David  began  to  cherish  in  his  heart  a  strong 
desire  to  build  a  temple  to  the  Lord.  At  this  time  his  mind 
seems  to  have  been  in  a  most  spiritual  state.  His  faith  seems 
to  have  grown  stronger  by  the  trials  through  which  it  had 
passed,  just  as  the  oak  grows  all  the  stronger  for  the  storms 
that  beat  upon  it.  It  was  not  God's  design  that  he  should 
build  his  house,  that  honor  being  reserved  for  his  son ;  but  he 
was  told  that  in  as  far  as  it  was  in  his  heart  to  do  it,  the  Lord 
accepted  the  will  for  the  deed. 

This  is  an  encouraging  principle  of  the  Divine  government ; 
especially  so  to  those  sincere  and  deeply  pious  souls  who, 
thinking  of  all  that  God  has  done  for  them,  never  feel  as  if 
they  could  do  enough  for  him.  They  plan,  in  the  depth  of 
their  loving  hearts,  all  manner  of  ways  by  which  they  may 
honor  his  name  and  promote  his  cause ;  but  through  bodily 
infirmity,  or  the  loss  of  worldly  property,  or  obstacles  thrown 
in  their  way  by  agents  of  evil,  they  are  disappointed ;  and  their 
throbbing  hearts  need  the  comfort  of  the  Lord's  words  to  Da- 
vid, "  Thou  didst  well  that  it  was  in  thine  heart." 

When  the  holy  and  devoted  Rev.  Samuel  Pearce,  was  on  his 
death-bed,  a  young  friend  of  his  just  about  to  start  for  India 


DAVID,    THE    ROYAL    PROPHET.  225 

as  a  missionary,  came  to  bid  him  farewell.  It  was  a  most 
affecting  occasion  to  both,  as  they  were  well  assured  they  should 
never  meet  again  on  earth.  The  parting  was  most  tender,  but 
brightened  by  the  certainty  of  a  joyful  m-eeting  in  glory. 

But  strange  to  say,  the  young  missionary  was  the  first  to  die. 
Though  in  perfect  health  at  the  time  of  sailing,  he  sickened 
and  died  before  reaching  the  dark  land  of  heathenism  where 
he  had  hoped  to  do  so  much  for  the  Lord.  Soon  after  Pearce 
died,  and  Andrew  Fuller  speaks  of  the  surprise  with  which 
these  happy  souls  would  meet  in  the  blessed  land.  He  repre- 
sented Pearce  as  saying,  "I  thought  that  by  this  time  you  were 
working  for  Jesus  in  India."  "  That  was  my  hope  and  inten- 
tion," the  missionary  replies,"  but  my  dear  Lord  had  other 
designs.  He  called  me  away  in  the  midst  of  my  plans  and 
projects  of  usefulness,  and  here  I  am,  an  unworthy  inhabitant 
of  the  heavenly  Canaan."  While  they  are  discussing  this  mat- 
ter, they  are  joined  by  a  spirit  high  in  glory,  who  upon  learn- 
ing the  subject  of  their  discussion  says,  "  This  reminds  me  of 
my  experience  when  on  earth.  It  was  strongly  in  my  heart  to 
build  a  temple  to  God's  glory.  I  was  ready  to  make  any  sac- 
rifice to  accomplish  this  object ;  but  my  Lord  told  me  that 
high  honor  was  not  to  be  mine,  but  that  as  far  as  it  was  in  my 
heart  to  do  the  work,  the  wish  was  graciously  accepted  as  if 
the  work  had  been  done."  This  last  speaker  was  David,  and 
as  he  concludes  he  tunes  his  harp  to  a  lofty  song  of  praise  in 
honor  of  Him  who  doeth  all  things  well.  I  have  given  this 
beautiful  conception  of  Fuller  from  memory,  giving  his 
thoughts  but  not  his  words. 

Here  is  a  young  man  who,  with  much  toil  and  self-denial, 
goes  through  a  long  course  of  training  for  preaching  the  good 
news.  But  when  ready,  he  is  taken  away  by  death,  after 
preaching  but  a  few  months,  or  it  may  be  but  a  few  sermons. 
The  talented  author  of  the  "  Course  of  Time,"  was  only  al- 
lowed to  preach  once  or  twice,  before  being  called  to  his 
eternal  home.  Is  all  that  preparation  to  be  lost.''  By  no 
means.  God  recognizes  what  was  in  the  hearts  of  his  young 
servants  to   do  for  him,  as  if  it  was   done ;  and  he  has  higher 


226  THE    world's    HOPE. 

service  for  them  to  do  in  other  departments  of  his  vast  do- 
minions, where  their  talents  and  knowledge  may  find  abundant 
scope. 

So,  dear  child  of  God,  take  comfort,  when  unable  to  give  to 
the  Savior's  cause  as  you  would  like.  Though  so  poor  as  to 
drop  a  mite  into  the  Lord's  treasury,  your  Lord  sees  thousands 
of  dollars  in  your  heart ;  and  in  the  great  day  of  account,  he 
may  say  of  you,  before  an  assembled  world,  that  you  have 
given  more  than  all  the  others  of  your  associates,  in  giving 
that  small  sum,  of  which  you  were  almost  ashamed.  "  If  there 
be  first  a  willing  mind,  it  is  accepted ;  not  according  to  what 
he  hath  not,  but  according  to  what  he  hath," 

And  to  the  invalid,  laid  aside  from  active  work  in  the  Lord's 
vineyard,  this  subject  is  full  of  comfort.  His  plan  of  active 
labors  are  all  broken  off,  cut  short  of  accomplishment.  He  had 
it  in  his  heart  to  do  so  much,  and  now  can  do  so  little.  His 
unfinished  designs,  like  broken  columns,  stand  up  around  him, 
and,  gazing  at  them  with  tearful  eyes,  he  cries,  "  Why  is  it 
thus.?"  Ah!  my  brother,  God  knows  what  is  in  your  heart, 
and  approves  it  well ;  but  he  wants  to  lay  you  aside  from  the 
busy  rush  of  life,  from  the  conflicting  passions  and  strifes  of 
earth,  that  you  may  find  your  all  in  God  himself.  He  wants 
to  make  you  look  into  the  grave  of  your  disappointed  hopes, 
your  blighted  expectations,  that  high  above  the  perishing  and 
mutable  things  of  time,  you  may  learn  to  drink  in  immortal 
life  from  your  Savior's  love.  There  he  tells  thee  the  tree  of 
life  grows;  and  there  only  are  eyes  that  tears  never  dim, 
hearts  beating  with  rapture  that  disappointment  never  turns  to 
sorrow,  and  a  perfection  of  life  that  is  to  know  no  death.  You 
go  into  the  crowded,  though  silent  city  of  the  dead,  and  you 
see  sweet  flowers  growing  over  the  graves  of  the  dead, — 
flowers  born  of  corruption,  and  watered  with  tears,  and  fanned 
with  sighs.  So,  over  the  grave  of  all  your  plans,  God  will 
cause  to  grow  the  fair  flowers  of  the  heavenly  graces  that  are 
to  bloom  forever  in  immortal  beauty  in  the  paradise  of  God. 


DAVID,    THE    ROYAL    PROPHET.  22J 

"  His  purposes  shall  ripen  fast, 
Unfolding  every  hour, 
The  bud  may  have  a  bitter  taste, 
But  sweet  will  be  the  flower.''^ 

So  far  it  has  been  most  pleasant  and  delightful  to  watch  the 
career  of  David.  It  is  true  that  we  have  not  seen  in  him  a 
perfect  character,  for  that  does  not  belong  to  sinful  man ;  even 
the  bright  sun  has  his  spots ;  but,  for  the  most  part,  our  hearts 
have  glowed  with  admiration  of  the  conduct  of  Jesse's  son. 
Prosperity  does  not  seem  to  have  spoiled  him,  and  out  of  the 
furnace  of  fiery  trial  he  comes  forth  refined.  We  have  fol- 
lowed him  up  to  a  pinnacle  where,  if  he  falls  at  all,  the  fall 
must  be  very  great.  And,  alas !  fall  he  did,  or,  rather,  cast 
himself  down  headlong.  Oh,  who  could  have  expected  this.^ 
The  sudden  change  fills  us  with  horror.  One  moment  of 
temptation  and  we  look  upon  David  the  adulterer  and  the 
murderer !  We  can  scarcely  believe  our  eyes  or  our  ears,  and 
are  ready  to  ask,  can  it  be  the  same  person .''  Alas  !  it  is  but 
too  true.     How  are  the  mighty  fallen ! 

In  reading  the  account  of  David's  fall,  we  can  enter  into  the 
feelings  of  Bishop  Hall ;  "  With  what  unwillingness,  with  what 
fear  do  I  look  upon  the  miscarriage  of  the  man  after  God's 
own  heart !  Oh,  holy  prophet,  who  can  promise  himself  to 
stand,  when  he  sees  thee  fallen,  and  maimed  with  the  fall  ? 
Let  profane  eyes  behold  thee  contentedly,  as  a  pattern,  as  an 
excuse  for  sinning ;  I  shall  never  look  upon  thee  but  througlf- 
tears,  as  a  woful  spectacle  of  human  infirmity." 

There  is  generally  a  long  preparatory  process  going  on,  un- 
known to  the  v/orld,  before  professing  Christians  fall  into  out- 
ward sin,  in  this  way.  Gradually  there  is  a  decline  of  spirit- 
uality of  mind ;  prayer  is  neglected ;  the  mind  gets  filled  with 
worldly  thoughts  and  feelings ;  carnal  desire  slowly  but  surely 
gains  the  ascendancy ;  and  a  spirit  of  proud  self-sufficiency 
takes  possession  of  the  soul.  Then,  when  all  the  elements  of 
evil  are  thus  prepared  the  great  temptation  is  presented,  and 
the  fall  comes.  It  seems  to  be  sudden,  but  is  not  really  so. 
There  was  a  long  prelude  of  evil. 


228  THE    world's    HOPE. 

Thus  was  it  with  David.  His  army  is  in  the  field  against 
the  Ammonites.  Instead  of  staying  at  home  to  enjoy  the  lux- 
uries of  his  splendid  palace,  he  should  have  been  fighting  the 
Lord's  battles.  Out  of  the  path  of  duty,  we  are  on  Satan's 
ground,  and  liable  to  be  attacked.  We  put  ourselves  into  the 
way  of  temptation.  The  king  is  walking  in  the  evening  upon 
the  roof  of  his  house,  when  he  saw  Bathsheba,  a  beautiful 
woman,  the  wife  of  a  brave  soldier,  now  away  fighting  his  bat- 
tles, engaged  in  bathing  herself.  A  pure  delicacy  should  have 
led  him  to  turn  away,  but  he  does  not ;  and  corrupt  thoughts 
lead  to  vile  actions.  He  becomes,  an  adulterer,  and  then,  to 
hide  the  shame  of  the  transaction,  resorts  to  the  meanest  plans 
to  accomplish  the  death  of  the  brave  captain,  Uriah,  whom  he 
had  so  greatly  injured  already.  He  efi'ects  this  dark  and 
horrid  design,  and  stains  his  soul  with  the  blood  of  murder. 

Such  is  the  progress  of  sin.  It  is  said  to  be  like  the  letting 
out  of  water;  first  a  small,  thread-like  stream,  trickling 
through  the  embankment,  and  then  a  roaring,  dashing,  irre- 
sistible torrent,  leaving  behind  a  track  of  desolation  and 
death.  The  light  of  God  is  first  resisted,  then  hated,  then 
forcibly  put  out  of  the  soul ;  till  the  poor,  unhappy  spirit 
gropes  about  in  a  darkness  that  may  be  felt.  Conscience  be- 
coming stupefied  and  seared,  for  the  time  being,  lays  by  its 
functions ;  and  all  restraint  being  removed,  the  miserable 
sinner  rushes  on,  with  increased  velocity,  down  the  road  to 
eternal  death. 

It  is  a  sad  evidence  of  the  blinding  effects  of  sin,  that 
months  roll  on,  and  there  is  no  awakening  of  the  king  to  re- 
pentance— no  bitter  throes  of  remorse  in  the  soul  of  this 
sinful  man.  There  seems  to  have  been  no  dread  of  the  ven- 
geance of  heaven;  if  the  displeasure  of  man  could  be  averted 
he  was  well  content.  It  seemed  as  if  all  sense  of  right  and 
wrong  was  dead  within  him ;  but  it  was  not  so.  He  was 
blinded,  infatuated,  and  his  conscience  seared  by  sin.  And 
this  state  of  things  would  have  continued  forever,  had  it  not 
been  for  God's  mighty  grace. 
^    It  was  a  kind  providence  that  a  faithful  man  of  God  was  still 


DAVID,    THE    ROYAL    PROPHET.  229 

left  in  Israel,  who  did  not  fear  kings  nor  kingly  power,  in  the 
exercise  of  his  duty.  The  fearless  Nathan  goes  and  tells  David 
his  sin  to  his  face.  He  begins  by  a  parable  of  a  rich  man,  who 
had  flocks  and  herds  in  great  abundance ;  but  when  he  wanted 
to  make  a  feast  for  a  guest,  instead  of  taking  his  own,  he  took 
the  one  ewe  lamb  of  a  poor  man.  The  king's  brow  grows 
dark  with  wrath.  Such  is  the  blinding  effects  of  sin  that  even 
now  he  does  not  see  his  own  great  transgression,  but  thun- 
dered out,  "  The  man  that  hath  done  this  thing  shall  surely 
die ;  and  he  shall  restore  the  lamb  four-fold,  because  he  did 
this  thing,  and  had  no  pity."  Ah!  how  ready  are  sinners  to 
see  the  fault  of  others,  but  blind  as  bats  to  their  own.  He  is 
like  the  drunkard,  that  thinks  the  giddy  and  unsteady  motion 
that  he  feels  is  in  others,  and  in  things  around  him,  not  in 
himself.  To  all  of  us  there  can  be  no  more  important  warn- 
ing than  to  beware  lest  we  be  hardened  through  the  deceitful^ 
ness  of  sin. 

Like  a  bolt  of  lightning  the  words  of  Nathan  smote  down 
the  offender:  "Thou  art  tlie  man."  Under  the  circumstances 
we  cannot  conceive  of  four  more  powerful  words.  It  is  a 
winged  sentence  coming  from  the  throne  of  God,  and  the  soul 
of  David  heaves  as  if  volcanic  fires  had  been  kindled  within 
him.  As  Paul's  heart  was  changed  by  the  sudden  light  that 
gleamed  from  heaven  and  struck  him  to  the  ground,  so  was 
the  king  of  Israel  all  broken  down  by  the  bolt  of  truth  that 
had  been  aimed  so  well ;  and  he  cries  out,  "  I  have  sinned  against 
the  Lord."  The  sentence  of  punishment  was  then  pro- 
nounced. The  sword  was  not  to  depart  from  his  house,  and 
bitter  heart  troubles  were  to  spring  up  out  of  his  own  house- 
hold. He  now  saw  his  sin  in  all  its  horrid  loathsomeness. 
Hour  after  hour  and  day  after  day  did  he  ponder  upon  his 
guilt.  He  wanders  about  his  palace  in  broken-hearted  an- 
guish, and  by  night  he  wet  his  pillow  with  tears.  If  ever 
there  was  a  true  penitent  he  was  the  man.  The  fifty-first 
Psalm  was  composed  at  this  time  by  him,  and  gives  us  an  in- 
sight into  the  state  of  his  heart.  "  Hide  thy  face  from  my 
.•sins,  and  blot  out  all  mine  iniquities.     Create  in  me  a  clean 


230  THE    WORLD  S    HOPE. 

heart,  oh  God ;  and  renew  a  right  spirit  within  me.  Cast  me 
not  away  from  tiiy  presence ;  and  take  not  thy  Holy  Spirit 
from  me." 

How  many  broken  hearts  have  been  comforted  as  they 
poured  out  their  cries  for  mercy  in  the  words  of  this  Psahii. 
And  oh  how  gracious  is  our  God.  He  sends  him  a  message 
of  mercy.  "  The  Lord  hath  put  away  thy  sin  ;  thou  shalt  not 
die."  Pardon  for  all  sin,  for  the  vilest  transgressors,  is  the 
law  of  God's  kingdom  of  grace.  The  blood  of  Jesus  cleans- 
eth  from  all  sin.  There  is  but  one  sin  that  cannot  be  par- 
doned, and  that  is  a  persistent  rejection  of  Christ  till  life's  last 
moment.  Unbelief  is  a  damning  sin.  It  rejects  heaven's  only 
remedy,  a  certain  cure  for  the  evil  of  sin ;  and  leaves  nothing 
before  the  soul  but  a  fearful  looking-for  of  judgment,  and 
fiery  indignation. 

A  visitor  among  the  poor  in  London,  came  in  contact  with 
a  wretched  man  who  repulsed  every  attempt  to  do  him  good. 
But  the  mother  of  this  savage  ruffian  cried  out  from  an  inner 
room,  "  Does  your  book  tell  of  the  blood  that  cleanseth 
from  all  sin.^"  Going  to  her  bedside,  he  said,  "My  poor 
friend,  what  do  you  want  to  know  of  the  blood  that  cleanseth 
from  all  sin  ?"  With  great  energy  she  replied,  "  Man,  I  am 
dying !  I  am  going  to  stand  before  God.  I  have  been  a 
very  wicked  woman  all  my  life.  But  once  I  stopped  at  the 
door  of  a  church,  and  one  word  I  can  never  forget.  Oh,  if  I 
could  hear  it  now !  It  was  something  about  the  blood  that 
cleanseth  from  all  sin." 

The  visitor  read  her  the  words  from  the  New  Testament ; 
her  soul  grasped  them  by  faith,  and  she  died  in  assurance  of 
pardon.     Her  son  also  was  saved  by  the  same  glorious  truth. 


DAVID,    THE    ROYAL    PROPHET.  23I 


CHAPTER  XVI. 
DAVID,  THE  ROYAL  PROPHET.     [Continued.] 

David  is  forgiven,  but  that  is  not  to  avert  the  effect  of  his 
sin  in  bringing  punishment.  As  we  showed  in  the  chapter  on 
Jacob,  there  is  a  great  difference  between  grace  and  govern- 
ment. God's  grace  pardons  David,  freely,  fully  pardons  him; 
but  the  Divine  government  must  make  an  example  of  his  sin. 
Thus  while  he  is  rejoicing  in  the  sweet  voice  of  grace  that  tells 
him  of  pardon,  he  feels  the  strokes  of  the  rod  of  government 
fall  heavy  and  fast  upon  his  head. 

He  was  a  very  fond  father,  and  the  blows  fell  upon  the  most 
tender  part  of  his  nature.  Take  Bishop  Sanderson's  descrip- 
tion of  his  troubles.  "  As  Nathan  foretold  to  him,  so  a  world 
of  mischief  and  misery  fell  out  to  him  from  this  one  presump- 
tuous act.  His  daughter  was  defiled  by  her  brother;  that 
brother  was  slain  by  another  brother;  a  strong  conspiracy  was 
raised  against  him  by  his  own  son  ;  his  concubines  were  openly 
defiled  by  the  same  son ;  himself  afflicted  by  the  untimely 
death  of  that  son,  who  was  his  darling;  reviled  and  cursed  to 
his  face  by  a  base,  unworthy  companion,  besides  many  other 
troubles,  affronts  and  vexations." 

Of  all  his  troubles,  the  revolt  and  death  of  Absalom  was  the 
most  severely  felt.  That  abandoned  youth  put  himself  at  the 
head  of  a  strong  faction,  drove  his  father  from  Jerusalem,  and 
again  made  him  a  fugitive  on  the  face  of  the  earth.  When 
Joab  marshaled  his  army  and  went  forth  to  crush  this  vile,  un- 
natural rebellion,  the  express  orders  of  the  king  to  his  general 
were,  "  Beware  that  none  touch  the  young  man,  Absalom." 
This  son,  in  whose  beautiful  body  dwelt  a  fearfully  corrupt 
soul,  had  heaped  upon  the  head  of  his  father  every  kind  of 
insult,  public  and   private  ;  and  yet,  the  loving  heart  of  the 


232  THE    WORLD  S    HOPE. 

parent  clings  to  him,  and  would  avert  from  him  his  deserved 
doom.  The  stern  and  brave  general,  however,  paid  no  atten- 
tion to  this  injunction  ;  but  finding  him,  caught  him  by  the  hair 
in  the  branches  of  a  tree,  killed  him  with  his  own  hand. 

While  the  battle  is  raging,  David  sits  between  the  gates  of 
the  city,  looking  with  great  anxiety  for  intelligence  from  the 
scene  of  action ;  and  as  one  after  another  came  in  hot  haste 
to  tell  of  victory,  his  first  question  is,  "  Is  the  young  man  Ab- 
salom safe.^"  And  when  told  that  he  was  slain,  the  agony  of 
his  soul  breaks  out  in  one  of  the  most  pathetic  wails  of  distress 
ever  heard  :  "  He  was  much  moved,  and  went  up  to  the 
chamber  over  the  gate,  and  wept ;  and  as  he  went,  thus  he  said : 
"  O  my  son  Absalom,  my  son,  my  son  Absalom  ;  would  God  I 
had  died  for  thee,  O  Absalom,  my  son,  my  son."  If  such  was 
the  depth  of  love  felt  by  an  earthly  father,  how  great  must  be 
the  love  of  the  heavenly  Father  to  his  offending  children.  He 
gave  his  son  to  die  for  us,  and  when  that  last  gift  of  his  love 
is  rejected,  and  the  righteous  stroke  of  death  is  about  to  fall, 
he  cries  out,  "  O  how  can  I  give  thee  up  !" 

And  now  for  a  short  time  there  comes  a  lull  in  the  storm  of 
adversity,  a  calm  day  of  repose  after  the  troubles  through 
which  he  had  passed.  The  deranged  country  is  once  more  at 
peace,  and  a  return  of  prosperity  begins  to  obliterate  the 
traces  of  war.  David  was  comforted,  and  it  is  feared  that  he 
became  lifted  up  with  pride,  for  he  fell  into  the  last  great  error 
of  his  reign.  I  refer  to  his  numbering  of  the  people.  At  first 
sight  this  may  seem  but  a  small  offence,  but  from  the  severity 
of  the  punishment  that  was  inflicted,  it  was  not  so  regarded 
in  God's  eyes.  Let  us  try  to  consider  in  what  his  sin  con- 
sisted. 

It  has  been  thought  by  some  that  the  reason  why  the  king 
wished  this  census  taken  was  from  a  vain-glorious  pride  of 
heart  as  to  the  number  of  subjects  over  which  he  ruled.  There 
may  have  been  something  of  this ;  but  I  have  no  doubt  that 
the  cause  was  unbelief  of  heart,  or  distrust  of  God.  He  ought 
to  have  known  that  the  strength  or  greatness  of  a  nation  is 
not  in  the  number  of  its  population,  or  the  vastness  of  its  army. 


DAVID,    THE    ROYAL    PROPHET.  233 

but  in  the  blessing  of  the  Most  High  God.  It  was  not  that 
the  numbering  of  the  people  was  in  itself  sin;  for  under  some 
circumstances  that  might  be  a  duty ;  but  it  was  the  dark  dis- 
trust of  God  that  lay  at  the  bottom  of  this  matter  that  brought 
down  upon  him  the  displeasure  of  heaven.  He  is  remonstrated 
with  by  Joab,  but  heeds  it  not.  Nine  months  are  taken  up  in 
this  work,  during  which  time  his  heart  remains  insensible  to 
his  folly.  But  when  the  numbers  are  put  into  his  hand  he 
awakes  to  the  knowledge  of  the  evil  he  has  done.  The  prophet 
of  God  is  sent  to  rebuke  him  and  announce  his  punishment. 
He  has  his  choice  of  three  years  of  famine,  three  months  of 
defeat  by  his  enemies,  or  three  days  of  pestilence  in  the  land. 

The  choice  which  the  king  made  was  a  wise  one.  He  chose 
pestilence,  as  that  came  directly  from  the  hand  of  the  Lord,  and 
was  something  to  which  he  would  be  as  much  exposed  as  the 
poorest  of  his  subjects.  "  Let  us  fall  now  into  the  hand  of  the 
Lord;  for  his  mercies  are  great,  and  let  us  not  fall  into  the 
hand  of  man."  An  angel  was  employed  to  inflict  the  punish- 
ment that  had  been  threatened.  This  minister  of  Divine 
displeasure  appeared  to  David  and  his  elders.  His  aspect 
was  one  well  calculated  to  excite  awe."  He  stood  between 
the  earth  and  the  heaven,  having  a  drawn  sword  in  his  hand, 
stretched  out  over  Jerusalem."  The  king  in  great  distress  of 
soul,  cast  himself  upon  the  ground,  pleading  for  the  life  of  his 
people.  He  offers  himself  as  a  sacrifice  :  "  So  I  have  sinned, 
and  have  done  wickedly;  but  these  sheep,  what  have  they 
done  }  Let  thy  hand,  I  pray  thee,  be  against  me,  and  against 
my  father's  house." 

Praying  breath  was  never  spent  in  vain ;  his  supplications 
were  heard,  the  city  is  spared  at  his  request,  and  the  Lord  said 
to  the  destroying  angel,  "It  is  enough  ;  stay  now  thy  hand." 
An  altar  was  built  upon  that  spot  and  grateful  sacrifices  offered 
up  to  the  hearer  of  prayer.  In  all  this  matter  David  appears 
as  a  sincere  penitent.  He  mourned  before  God  on  account  of 
his  sin ;  he  sent  up  his  earnest  cry  for  mercy ;  he  was  more 
ready  to  condemn  himself  than  others,  and  was  willing  to  bear 
alone  the  result  of  his  sins.     In  short,  from    this  time  forth 


234  THE    WORLD  S    HOPE. 

his  life  flows  on  in  one  consistent  stream  of  works  of  faith  and 
labors  of  love. 

As  a  prophet,  how  clearly  he  spoke  of  the  coming  of  Christ. 
Jesus  and  his  Apostles  often  appealed  to  the  Psalms  which 
spoke  of  the  coming  Messiah  as  being  the  eternal  Son  of  God, 
the  Great  High  Priest,  the  imparter  of  the  Holy  Spirit  and  the 
resurrection  from  the  dead.  In  the  Psalms  the  most  minute 
particulars  of  our  Lord's  sufferings  are  given  by  the  spirit  of 
prophecy.  His  being  betrayed  by  one  of  his  own  chosen 
band,  the  casting  lots  for  his  raiment,  and  the  giving  him  vin- 
egar to  drink  on  the  cross. 

This  book  of  Psalms  has  been  a  most  blessed  legacy  to  the 
church  of  God.  How  sublimely  does  it  describe  the  attri- 
butes of  God,  especially  his  mercy.  The  penitent  can  here 
find  the  most  fit  language  of  confession ;  when  blessings  are 
received  the  thankful  soul  can  here  find  glowing  words  of 
praise ;  and  when  the  pardoned  sinner  would  break  out  into  a 
song  of  highest  rapture  he  will  find  it  in  the  Psalms.  These 
songs  are  everywhere  applicable  and  appropriate ;  by  land  and 
by  sea,  in  joy  or  sorrow,  in  palaces  or  prisons,  for  they  are  the 
sincere  out-gushmg  of  a  human  heart  in  all  the  circumstances 
in  which  our  common  humanity  is  placed.  A  sweet  simplicity 
of  style  is  united  to  great  sublimity  of  thought,  so  that  they 
are  suited  for  the  learned  and  the  unlearned  alike.  In  short 
there  are  no  utterances  among  all  the  prophets  so  dear  to  pious 
minds  as  these  sweet  songs.  At  one  time  the  Psalmist  carries 
us  among  the  works  of  God,  to  fill  us  with  rapture  and  awe ; 
"The  heavens  declare  the  glory  of  God,  and  the  firmament 
sKoweth  his  handiwork."  Sometimes  he  breaks  out  in  a  rap- 
ture of  praise  almost  too  great  for  words.  "  Sing  unto  the 
Lord  a  new  song ;  for  his  right  hand  and  his  holy  arm  have 
gotten  him  the  victory."  And  in  a  transport  of  love  he  calls 
upon  all  nature  to  help  him  to  praise  God ;  the  trees,  the  gray 
rocks,  the  lofty  mountains :  "  Let  the  sea  roar,  and  the  fullness 
thereof;  the  world,  and  they  Ah  at  dwell  therein." 

David  now  began  to  feel  the  effect  of  age  and  infirmity 
creeping  upon  him.     He  has  yet  much   to   do,  and  but  little 


DAVID,    THE    ROYAL    PROPHET.  235 

time  in  which  to  do  it.  Though  his  bodily  powers  begin  to 
fail,  his  strong  mind  retains  all  its  powers.  He  assembles  to- 
gether the  princes,  the  captains  of  the  army,  and  leading  men 
of  the  nation,  and  addressed  them  with  great  solemnity  and 
power  in  regard  to  establishing  the  worship  of  God.  He  spoke 
of  his  ardent  desire  to  build  a  house  for  the  Son,  and  of  the 
revelation  he  had  received  that  that  work  was  to  be  performed 
by  Solomon,  his  son.  Then  turning  to  that  son,  he  charged 
him  in  the  presence  of  them  all,  to  give  himself  to  this  matter 
with  honesty  of  purpose.  He  also  gave  to  his  son  an  exact 
description  of  the  temple  as  it  had  been  delivered  to  him  from 
heaven,  and  contributed,  from  his  own  resources,  great  wealth 
to  be  devoted  to  this  object. 

This  liberal  example  had  a  good  effect  upon  the  people; 
their  contributions  poured  in  with  the  greatest  readiness,  as  if 
they  were  delighted  to  aid  so  good  a  work.  They  gave  not 
grudgingly,  but  of  a  ready  mind.  The  aged  king  was  delighted 
with  this  zeal  for  the  Lord's  cause,  and  broke  out,  before  them 
all,  in  warm  and  devout  acknowledgment  to  God  for  so  dis- 
posing their  hearts,  and  in  earnest  prayer  for  Solomon's  reign. 
Then  the  whole  congregation  worshiped  together;  sacrifices 
were  offered  to  God,  and  David  resigned  his  regal  authority  to 
Solomon,  who  was  anointed  king  in  his  stead. 

But  it  is  the  lot  of  the  greatest  of  earth's  sons  to  die.  Those 
who  ruled  millions  with  a  word,  and  on  whose  will  the  fate  of 
nations  hung  suspended,  must  fall  before  the  King  of  Terrors. 
So,  great  warrior  and  mighty  monarch  as  David  had  been,  the 
time  came  when  he  must  die.  We  gather  around  his  dying 
bed,  and  listen  eagerly  to  hear  his  last  words.  That  hand,  once 
so  strong  to  wield  the  implements  of  war,  is  now  palsied  with 
age,  and  the  cares  of  many  years  have  plowed  deep  furrows 
upon  his  face. 

What  are  the  subjects  upon  which  his  mind  dwells  in  this 
solemn  hour.>  Is  he  proudly  recalling  the  time  when  as  a 
shepherd  boy  he  came,  all  unknown,  from  the  plains  ot  I^ethle- 
hem,  and  smote  the  proud  and  boastful  Philistine,  and  turned 
the  whole  fortunes  of  the  day  in  favor  of  his  people  ?     Is  he 


236  THE    world's    hope. 

thinking  of  the  shout  of  joy  that  greeted  him  from  a  whole 
nation  when  he  ascended  the  throne,  and  of  the  long  list  of 
brilliant  victories  by  which  he  made  that  throne  so  secure  ? 
Ah  '  no :  these  look  but  small  things  when  viewed  from  a 
death-bed.  Other  thoughts,  more  noble  and  suitable,  are  fill- 
ing his  soul.  The  sovereignty  of  God,  the  comforts  of  the 
Divine  covenant,  so  full  and  sure,  and  the  unchangeableness  of 
Jehovah's  love,  are  the  vastly  important  themes  upon  which 
his  mind  dwells.  His  dying  words  are,  "  Although  my  house 
be  not  so  with  God,  yet  he  hath  made  with  me  an  everlasting 
covenant,  ordered  in  all  things  and  sure ;  for  this  is  all  my 
salvation,  and  all  my  desire,  although  he  make  it  not  to  grow." 

We  here  notice  his  touching  confession  in  regard  to  his  fam- 
ily :  'Although  my  house  be  not  so  with  God."  We  have 
already  seen  that  his  youth  was  full  of  devotedness  to  God,  and 
the  years  of  adversity  that  followed  his  entering  upon  public 
life,  seem  to  have  driven  him  nearer  to  God.  The  unfaithful- 
ness of  his  fellow-men  made  him  think  more  of  God's  faith- 
fulness, and  the  persecution  of  Saul  only  made  him  cling  more 
firmly  to  the  covenant  promises  of  his  Divine  Friend  in  heaven, 
who  knew  all  that  was  in  his  heart. 

But  the  full  cup  of  prosperity  was  more  than  he  could  bear. 
When  lifted  up  upon  the  high  eminences'  of  life  he  became 
high-minded  and  fell  into  the  snare  of  the  devil.  As  a  head 
of  a  family  he  was  destituted  of  all  government.  Foolishly 
fond  of  his  children,  he  let  them  have  their  own  way.  The 
result  was  what  might  have  been  expected '  spoiled  by  indul- 
gence, they  embroiled  him  and  his  kingdom  in  trouble  and 
disgrace. 

It  is  a  sad  sign  of  how  great  is  the  depravity  of  our  nature 
when  even  good  men  fall  into  sin.  After  all  that  grace  has 
done  for  them,  after  such  a  marvelous  change  has  been  wrought 
by  the  Holy  Spirit,  after  a  new  life  has  been  implanted,  a  life 
that  is  spiritual,  imperishable,  progressive,  and  that  is  to  grow 
up  to  a  glory  and  heavenly  beauty  of  which  we  can  form  no 
proper  conception ;  yet  so  strong  are  the  remains  of  sin,  that 
it  occasionally  breaks  out  in  a  way  that  astonishes  the  world. 


DAVID,    THE    ROYAL    PROPHET.  237 

If  God's  mighty  grace  were  to  leave  the  best  of  men  to  himself 
for  one  moment ;  if  proud,  self-righteous  thoughts  gain  the 
ascendancy  ;  if  the  fascination  of  sin  gets  its  entanglements 
around  him,  he  must  fall  into  the  snare  of  the  enemy.  Upon 
no  prop  can  we  lean  with  safety  but  Christ's  love ;  no  safe 
refuge  but  in  his  grace. 

When  good  men  fall  into  sin  they  are  awakened  to  penitence. 
While  the  sinner  goes  on  growing  worse  and  worse,  the  erring 
child  of  God  is  awakened  to  a  knowledge  of  his  guilt  that 
makes  him  condemn  himself  more  than  his  friends  have  done. 
I  once  knew  a  minister  who  in  an  hour  of  sudden  temptation 
fell  into  sin.  He  was  in  awful  anguish  of  soul.  His  old 
friends  were  denouncing  him,  the  newspapers  were  blaming 
him,  the  ungodly  were  rejoicing  in  his  downfall,  and  calling  him 
by  the  vilest  of  names,  but  none  of  them  spoke  so  much  against 
him  as  he  did  against  himself.  It  was  heart-rending  to  witness 
his  agony  of  soul  under  the  rebukes  of  conscience  and  the  con- 
victions of  the  Holy  Spirit.  I  think  that  if  the  most  hardened  sin- 
ner had  been  in  that  man's  company  for  an  hour  he  would  have 
had  a  strong  conviction  that  though  he  had  sinned  greatly,  he 
was  still  a  son  of  God.  Yes,  such  an  one  may  wander  far,  but 
grace  never  gives  him  up ;  it  keeps  him  in  view  go  where  he 
may,  and  in  some  favorable  opportunity  flashes  conviction  over 
his  soul,  producing  a  repentance  that  needs  not  to  be  repented 
of.  Some  messenger  is  sent,  whose  words  pierce  his  soul  like 
fire-tipped  arrows,  singling  him  out  from  the  whole  world,  with 
"  Thou  art  the  man." 

After  this  return  to  God  is  brought  about  by  afflictions,  the 
soul  is  swept  up  by  some  terrible  tempest,  that  seems  to  crush 
it  down,  as  in  some  dark  night  the  sturdy  tree  of  the  forest  is 
laid  low.  The  furnace  is  heated,  but  God's  eye  keeps  watch 
that  his  child  shall  not  be  consumed,  but  only  purified. 

Peter  and  Judas  both  sinned  against  Jesus.  Peter  was  a 
real  Christian,  and  showed  it  by  going  out  and  weeping  bit- 
terly ;  Judas  was  only  a  mere  professor,  and  he  showed  it  by 
going  from  bad  to  worse,  and  rushing  uncalled  into  eternity, 
with  the  blood  of  murder  upon  his  soul. 


238  THK    world's    hope. 

David  in  his  dying  moments  had  but  one  truth  to  which  he 
could  cling;  God's  covenant  of  grace  through  Jesus.  The 
religion  that  saves  the  soul  has  always  been  essentially  the 
same  in  all  ages.  From  the  fall  downwards  the  only  hope  of 
the  sinner  has  been  the  blood  of  the  covenant.  It  begins  with 
the  promise  of  a  Savior  in  the  garden  of  Eden,  and  ever  since 
has  been  saving  lost  souls.  From  the  garden  of  Eden  to  the 
garden  of  Gethsemane,  and  up  to  Calvary,  it  has  uttered  but 
one  voice,  "Without  the  shedding  of  blood  there  is  no  remis- 
sion of  sins." 

It  is  called  by  the  king  of  Israel  an  "  everlasting  covenant." 
It  is  so  in  its  conception  in  the  Divine  mind.  The  plan  of 
salvation  was  no  new  idea  to  Jehovah  to  meet  an  unexpected 
difficulty.  Long  before  this  world  was  swung  out  into  space 
from  the  Creator's  hand,  long  before  he  made  those  orbs  of 
light  that  sparkle  in  the  canopy  of  heaven,  long  before  the 
comet  was  sent  forth  to  wander  through  space,  or  when  space 
was  shoreless  or  unborn,  this  wonderful  plan  of  mercy  was  in 
God's  thoughts.  The  Holy  Trinity  are  represented  as  in  con- 
sultation devising  means  for  man's  redemption.  But  this  is 
only  in  accommodation  to  our  weakness  of  comprehension. 
Infinite  wisdom  needs  no  deliberation.  With  God  there  is  no 
weighing  of  measures,  no  balancing  of  expedients,  no  examin- 
ation of  different  plans.  Before  his  Omniscient  eye  all  things 
stand  unveiled  in  their  truest  order  and  in  their  fittest  arraign- 
ment ;  the  means,  the  agency  and  the  end  are  all  before  him 
from  all  eternity ;  he  cannot  be  taken  by  surprise,  nor  does  he 
need  to  change  his  plans  to  meet  unexpected  emergencies. 

This  covenant  is  everlasting  in  its  saving  results.  The  be- 
liever is  not  saved  for  a  few  years,  but  for  ever  and  ever.  Once 
in  Christ  by  a  living  faith,  he  can  no  more  be  lost  than  hif 
Great  Substitute  can  be  lost.  The  Savior's  own  words  are, 
"They  shall  never  perish."  All  hell,  and  all  the  elements  of 
evil  on  earth  may  unite  against  him,  but  he  shall  never  perish. 
Like  David  and  like  Peter,  the  enemy  may  seem  to  have  him 
in  his  power  for  a  season,  but  the  Great  Advocate  is  pleading 
for  him,  and  he  can  never  perish.     And  when  the  dangers  of 


DAVID,    THE    ROYAL    PROPHET.  239 

earth  are  over,  and  the  ages  of  eternity  roll  on,  they  shall  all 
unite  who  have  ever  known  this  grace  to  sing  His  praises  who 
wrought  out  this  everlasting  salvation. 

Another  noticeable  point  in  the  description  of  this  covenant 
is,  "well  ordered  in  all  things."  It  is  just  suitable  to  the  case 
of  sinners.  Man  is  a  guilty  being,  and  often  feels  the  terror  of 
this  through  all  the  powers  of  his  soul.  When  the  Spirit  of 
God  makes  him  feel  the  strictness  of  the  holy  law,  and  its 
awful  curses  thickening  and  darkening  around  his  soul ;  to 
hear  that  this  law  has  been  vindicated  and  the  claims  of  justice 
satisfied  by  the  death  of  Jesus,  gives  peace  and  assurance  of 
acceptance.  To  trust  in  a  man's  own  good  deeds  is  seen  by 
the  enlightened  mind  to  be  the  highest  folly.  To  suppose  that 
the  performance  of  a  few  good  deeds,  even  allowing  them  to 
be  good,  could  cancel  a  lifetime  of  sin  is  a  view  of  God's  char- 
acter at  once  the  most  foolish  and  pernicious.  Here  is  a  crim- 
inal before  a  court,  accused  of  stealing  his  neighbor's  goods. 
What  plea  does  he  make?  Why  this:  that  he  has  obeyed  far 
more  laws  than  he  has  broken,  that  he  had  only  stolen  once  or 
twice,  but  had  been  honest  all  the  rest  of  his  life.  How  would 
such  a  plea  look  in  the  eyes  of  the  judge  and  jury  ?  They 
would  treat  it  with  scorn.  And  men  of  intelligence  in  other 
things  are  found  trusting  in  such  a  hope  between  God  and 
their  souls. 

But  surely  present  obedience  can  never  make  up  for  past  dis- 
obedience ;  for  if  we  obeyed  perfectly  all  our  lives  we  would 
only  be  doing  our  duty.  If  we  failed  in  one  act,  that  is  sin, 
and  that  one  sin  unpardoned  will  ruin  the  soul  forever.  And 
it  cannot  be  pardoned  by  setting  over  against  it  some  duty  or 
duties  well  performed.  You  can  never  recall  a  sin,  nor  blot  it 
out  of  God's  record  by  anything  you  can  do.  The  blood  oi 
Jesus  alone  can  blot  out  sin,  all  sin,  sin  to  the  very  uttermost 
extent  of  sinning.  And  to  refuse  to  recognize  this  truth,  is  to 
add  to  the  sin  of  breaking  God's  holy  law,  the  yet  greater  sin  ' 
of  rejecting  the  Savior.  You  need  pardon,  in  Him  you  have 
it  rich  and  free.  You  need  a  perfect  righteousness,  and  here 
it  is,  more  pure  and  spotless  than  an  angel.     You  need  a  title 


240  THE    WORLD  S    HOPE. 

to  heaven,  and  here  it  is,  signed  and  sealed  by  the  Judge. 
But  David  said  this  covenant  was  sure.  Well,  this  is  more 
than  can  be  said  of  earthly  things,  of  which  men  now  make  so 
much.  When  a  few  years  have  gone  what  a  change  do  they 
leave  behind  them,  in  blighted  hopes,  disappointed  expecta- 
tions, and  vacant  chairs  at  family  gatherings.  A  father  of  a 
large  home  circle  had  been  long  absent ;  but  the  day  of  his 
expected  arrival  had  at  last  come.  Every  heart  was  joyful, 
every  eye  was  bright  with  love.  The  very  hour  fixed  for  the 
joyful  meeting  has  come,  and  the  tea  table  waits  the  happy 
throng  that  were  to  gather  around  it.  Meanwhile  the  father  is 
coming  rushing,  on  in  the  cars,  with  a  happy  heart.  The  last 
entry  which  he  had  made  in  his  journal  was,  "  Now  for  home." 
But  as  he  nears  the  place  there  is  a  crash,  a  wild  shriek  from 
hundreds  of  voices,  and  that  loving  father  lies  dead.  The 
hopes  of  that  family  are  gone  out  in  darkness.  Like  thousands, 
they  have  found  that  the  things  of  earth  are  not  sure. 

"  I  thought  that  the  course  of  the  pilgrim  to  heaven 

Would  be  bright  as  the  summer,  and  glad  as  the  morn  ; 
Thou  showedst  me  the  path,  it  was  dark  and  uneven, 
All  rugged  with  rock,  and  all  tangled  with  thorn. 

"  I  dreamt  of  celestial  rewards  and  renown, 

I  grasped  at  the  triumph  which  blesses  the  brave  ; 
I  asked  for  the  palm-branch,  the  robe,  and  the  crown, 
I  asked — and  Thou  showeist  me  a  Cross  and  a  Grave." 

All  that  can  be  said  about  the  uncertainty  of  earthly  things 
is  true,  but  should  be  used  to  draw  us  to  the  greater  truth  to 
which  David  clung,  the  sureness  of  every  thing  about  the  cove- 
nant of  redemption.  Its  doctrine  of  justification  by  faith  is 
sure ;  its  precious  promises  are  sure ;  its  peace  and  unspeaka- 
ble joys  here  are  sure;  and  the  unending  bliss  which  it  fixes 
our  hopes  upon  beyond  the  boundary  line  of  time  are  sure. 
Let  all  who  have  found  the  world  a  vain  show,  a  delusion 
and  a  snare,  turn  to  the  faith  and  true  word  of  God,  that 
never  deceives.  Every  earthly  trust  may  perish,  but  they  that 
wait  upon  the  Lord  shall  surely  renew  their  strength. 


DAVID,    THE    ROYAL    PROPHET.  241 

David  could  say  in  his  last  moments,  "  This  is  all  my  hope 
and  all  my  desire."  To  have  all  the  hope  in  Christ  makes  a 
happy  life  and  a  happy  death.  To  have  a  divided  hope,  a  little 
in  Christ  and  a  little  in  something  else,  makes  an  unhappy 
professor.  The  religion  of  such  people  makes  them  miserable, 
being  one  of  alternate  hope  and  fear,  doubts  and  trusts,  joys 
and  sorrows.  A  writer  in  a  religious  paper  says :  "A  company 
of  captives  were  one  day  set  at  liberty.  For  many  years  they 
had  been  in  bonds ;  and  the  joy  of  being  set  free  was  like  a 
foretaste  of  heaven.  But  there  was  one  who,  instead  of  re- 
joicing in  his  freedom,  gathered  up  his  broken  fetters  and  car- 
ried them  with  him  on  his  homeward  journey.  Wherever  he 
stopped  he  might  be  heard  mourning :  '  Oh,  these  chains, 
these  chains  !  What  misery  have  they  caused  me  !'  And  at  last 
death  found  him  still  hugging  his  chains  to  his  bosom." 

Thus  it  is  with  many  professing  Christians.  Christ  shed  his 
blood  to  redeem  them  from  the  curse  of  the  law.  He  wishes 
them  to  be  his  freemen,  rejoicing  in  true  gospel  freedom  from 
the  curse  of  the  law,  the  condemnation  of  sin,  and  the  terror 
of  coming  wTath.  But  they  will  not  be  made  happy.  They 
speak  as  if  they  must  still  be  saved  by  the  law ;  and  as  if  Jesus 
had  not  shed  his  blood  at  all  for  sin,  they  keep  crying  out, 
"  Oh,  my  sins,  my  sins  !  what  is  to  become  of  me  because  of  m.y 
sins.?" 

Several  years  ago  a  passenger  vessel  was  crossing  the  Atlantic 
ocean,  when,  one  afternoon,  all  on  board  were  startled  by  the 
fearful  cry,  "A  man  overboard!"  It  was  a  young  lad,  who, 
when  attending  to  some  duty  on  the  bowsprit  of  the  ship,  had 
been  swept  off  by  a  mighty  wave.  The  life-boat  was  instantly 
lowered,  and  stout  arms  were  propelling  her  with  all  speed 
toward  the  drowning  youth.  On  the  deck  stood  four  hundred 
persons  intensely  excited,  and  watching  the  result  with  throb- 
bing hearts  and  tearful  eyes. 

As  a  strong  wind  was  blowing  at  the  time,  a  great  distance 
soon  separated  the  ship  from  the  life -boat  and  the  youth  that 
it  had  gone  to  save.  But  now  and  again  they  could  see  him 
rise,  struggling  for  life,  upon  the   crest  of  some  great  wave, 


242  THE    WO^LD  S    HOPE. 

while  every  moment  brought  the  life -boat  nearer.  At  last  a 
strong  arm  is  stretched  out  to  grasp  him,  and  very  soon  he 
was  safe  on  deck. 

The  editor  of  the  "New  York  Evangelist,"  who  was  on  board, 
says :  "  Never  did  we  experience  such  feelings  of  relief  as  at 
that  moment.  A  murmur  of  joy  and  approbation,  though  al- 
most choked  with  tears,  ran  through  the  ship,  a  thrill  like  that 
which  runs  through  heaven  when  a  soul,  shipwrecked  and 
ready  to  perish,  is  rescued  and  brought  back  to  God. 

Now,  for  this  drowning  young  man  there  was  but  one  hope 
— the  life-boat.  His  safety  did  not  depend  upon  his  past  life, 
whether  good  or  bad,  but  upon  getting  into  the  life -boat.  He 
did  not  need  to  raise  any  question  as  to  whether  that  boat  was 
built  tcx  save  him,  nor  as  to  who  built  it,  and  what  were  the 
intentions  of  its  builder.  There  it  comes  to  him  in  his  ex- 
tremity, and  the  great  thing  was  to  get  aboard.  So  Jesus  in- 
vites the  sinner  to  come  to  him  and  be  saved,  just  as  he  is. 
He  must  see  that  the  Lord  is  in  earnest  when  he  invLt^s.  He 
would  not  ask  him  to  come  to  him,  if  he  was  not  prepared  to 
receive  him  the  moment  he  does  come ;  and  once  in  the  Lord 
he  shall  never  be  confounded. 

Such  was  the  hope  of  the  Psalmist  in  his  last  moments. 
Upon  this  he  pillowed  his  dying  head,  and  his  own  description 
of  the  dying  saint  was  applicable  to  his  own  case,  "The  end 
of  that  man  is  peace."  Some  Christians,  in  their  closing  mo- 
ments^n  earth,  have  unspeakable  raptures  of  joy ;  but  much 
depends  upon  the  nature  of  the  disease  that  takes  them  away. 
But  all  who  are  in  Jesus  die  safely.  David  Brainerd  said,  on 
his  death-bed,  "  The  grave  appeared  really  sweet,  and  I 
longed  to  lodge  my  weary  bones  in  it."  And  again,  "Oh, 
blessed  God,  I  am  speedily  coming  to  thee,  I  hope.  Hasten 
the  day,  if  it  be  thy  blessed  will." 

Said  another  dying  saint,  "  Faith  lies  at  anchor  in  the  midst 
of  the  waves,  and  believes  the  accomplishment  of  the  promises 
through  all  overturning  confusions.  Upon  this  God  do  I  live, 
who  is  our  God  forever,  and  will  be  our  guide  even  unto  death. 
Methinks  I  lie  becalmed  in  his  bosom."     As  Luther  said  in 


DAVID,    THE    ROYAL    PROPHET.  243 

such  a  case,  "  I  am  not  much  concerned.  Let  Christ  see  to  it. 
I  have  nothing  to  fear."  A  missionary  lady,  Mrs.  Bixly,  died 
exclaiming,  "Precious  Jesus!"  "Matchless  grace!"  "Joy, 
joy,  joy!" 

But  I  must  close.  Let  us  learn,  from  David's  history,  the 
importance  of  watchfulness  in  the  day  of  prosperity.  A  man 
who  had  got  a  large  fortune  left  him,  sent  to  his  church  a  re- 
quest for  prayer.  He  felt  that  he  was  in  a  dangerous  position 
• — standing  on  slippery  places.  "  Let  him  that  thinketh  he 
standeth  take  heed  lest  he  fall." 

Let  us  also  learn  to  welcome  the  word  of  God,  even  when  it 
comes  to  smite  and  condemn  us.  Nathan's  preaching  was 
very  painful  to  David.  But  he  did  not  kill  the  preacher,  like 
Herod,  because  he  did  not  preach  smooth  things.  He  did  not 
get  into  a  rage  and  hate  the  preacher  instead  of  hating  his 
sins,  as  many  do.  No,  he  let  the  truth  come  in  its  condemning 
power,  and  starting  back  from  the  brink  of  ruin  cried,  "  Forgive 
my  iniquities,  because  they  are  great,"  He  did  not  try  to  ex- 
cuse them,  or  make  them  appear  small. 

"  I  gave  my  life  for  thee, 

My  precious  blood  I  shed, 
That  thou  might'st  ransomed  be, 
And  quickened  from  the  dead. 
I  gave  my  life  for  thee, 
What  hast  thou  done  for  me. 

•*  I  spent  long  years  for  thee 

In  weariness  and  woe. 
That  one  eternity 

Of  joy  thou  might'st  know; 
I  spent  long  years  for  thee  ; 
Hast  thou  spent  one  for  me  ? 

*'  My  Father's  house  of  light, 

My  rainbow-circled  throne, 
I  left  for  earthly  night, 

For  wanderings  sad  and  lone  ; 
I  left  it  all  for  thee  ; 
Hast  thou  left  aught  for  me  ? 


§44  THE    WORLD  S    HOPE. 

"  I  suffered  much  for  thee, 

More  than  thy  tongue  can  ta^9 
Of  bitterest  agony. 

To  rescue  thee  from  hell ; 
I  suffered  much  for  thee  ; 
What  dost  thou  bear  for  me? 

"  And  I  have  brought  to  thee, 
Down  from  my  home  above^ 

Salvation  full  and  free, 
My  pardon  and  my  love ; 

Great  gifts  I  brought  to  thee ; 

What  hast  thou  brought  to  me  ? 

"  Oh,  let  thy  life  be  given, 

Thy  years  for  me  be  spent, 
World-fetters  all  be  riven. 

And  joy  with  suffering  blent  \ 
Give  thou  thyself  to  me, 
And  I  will  welcome  thee  f* 


ELIJAH,    THE    TISHBITE.  245 


CHAPTER  XVII. 
ELIJAH,  THE  TISHBITE. 

Elijah  is  one  of  the  greatest  of  the  prophets;  perhaps,  with 
the  exception  of  Moses,  the  greatest  of  them  all.  Indeed,  be- 
tween him  and  the  great  law-giver  there  are  many  points  of 
resemblance.  They  both  come  from  God  at  a  very  dark  pe- 
riod of  the  history  of  the  Church.  They  both  show  great 
faith  and  invincible  bravery  in  dealing  with  wicked  men  in 
high  power ;  and  ages  after,  from  among  the  innumerable  mul- 
titude in  heaven,  these  two  were  chosen  to  meet  the  Lord  on 
the  mount  of  transfiguration. 

Of  the  youth  and  early  history  of  Elijah  we  are  told  nothing. 
He  bursts  upon  us  all  at  once  in  the  sacred  history,  a  full- 
grown  prophet  of  the  Lord  ;  and  the  first  words  we  hear  from 
him,  are  such  as  make  our  ears  tingle,  and  that  smote  against 
the  king  and  his  guilty  court  like  huge  billows  of  wrath.  He 
comes  upon  us  sudden  as  the  lightning  flashes  from  heaven ; 
or,  as  one  says,  "  a  meteor  kindled  at  the  eye  and  blown  on 
the  breath  of  the  Eternal." 

Religion  was  at  a  low  ebb  at  this  time,  idolatry  having 
usurped  the  place  of  the  worship  of  the  God  of  heaven.  The 
priests  of  Baal  had  taken  possession  of  the  land,  erected  their 
altars  upon  the  hills,  and  made  the  groves  resound  with  their 
abominable  blasphemies.  The  wicked  king  Ahab,  and  his 
wife  Jezebel,  did  all  they  could  to  encourage  and  perpetuate 
this  state  of  things.  But  the  darkest  hour  is  before  the  dawn ; 
and  God's  messenger,  with  the  flashing  sword  of  truth  in  his 
hand,  and  Almighty  power  to  defend  him,  has  come  to    Israel. 

Elijah  was  a  man  of  a  strong  and  marked  individuality  of 
character.  His  history  impresses  us,  so  that  we  seem  to  see 
him  stand  before  us,  the  perfect  representative  of  true  great- 
ness ;  and  to  hear  him  thunder  out  his  heaven-sent  message, 


246  THE    world's    hope. 

with  a  courage  that  excites  our  admiration  and  wins  our  love. 
It  was  the  highest  and  noblest  kind  of  courage,  true  moral 
courage.  There  is  often  a  great  amount  of  mere  animal 
courage,  while  the  courage  worthy  of  a  man  is  wanting.  To 
dash  into  the  conflict  of  the  battle-field,  and  in  the  wild  excite- 
ment of  the  moment  to  perform  deeds  of  wonderful  daring, 
is  often  done  by  men  who  shrink  back  from  doing  what  God 
and  conscience  tells  them  is  right  lest  they  should  encounter 
the  sneer  of  their  companions  in  sin.  Boasting  of  their  cour- 
age they  are  the  veriest  cowards  in  the  cause  of  eternal  right. 
Many  a  Christian  lady,  who  would  turn  pale  at  the  sight  of 
blood,  has  boldly  gone  into  the  consuming  flame,  or  walked  to 
the  scaffold  with  songs  of  victory,  rather  than  deny  her  Lord. 
This  is  true  courage  worthy  of  immortal  and  responsible 
beings ;  the  other  kind  is  possessed  by  tigers  and  bull-dogs,  in 
larger  measure  than  by  man. 

Elijah  goes  boldly  into  the  presence  of  the  king,  with  plain 
garments  and  yet  plainer  speech.  "  As  the  Lord  God  of  Israel 
liveth,  before  whom  I  stand,  there  shall  not  be  dew  nor  rain 
these  years,  but  according  to  my  word."  Now,  the  inspired 
writers  let  us  know  that  this  closing  up  the  heavens,  and  open- 
ing them  again  was  the  result  of  prayer.  The  apostle  James 
says,  "  Elijah  was  a  man  subject  to  like  passions  as  we  are, 
and  he  prayed  earnestly  that  it  might  not  rain  :  and  it  rained 
not  on  the  earth  by  the  space  of  three  years  and  six  months. 
And  he  prayed  again,  and  the  heaven  gave  rain,  and  the  earth 
brought  forth  her  fruit." 

Is  it  possible  that  a  mortal  man  can  thus  have  power  with 
God  }  It  is  possible  and  true  ;  and  forms  one  of  the  wonders 
of  his  condescending  love.  Believing  prayer  takes  hold  of  the 
Almighty's  strength,  it  has  the  key  that  unlocks  the  treasures 
of  heaven,  and  it  has  power  to  move  that  hand  that  moves  all 
things.  Oh  Christian,  be  you  man  or  minister,  maid  or  ma- 
tron, of  exalted  position,  or  in  poverty's  vale,  get  the  spirit  of 
faith  in  prayer,  and  nothing  shall  be  impossible  unto  you. 
Obstacles  of  all  kinds  in  the  path  of  duty  will  be  removed  or 
turned  into  helps;  rocks  will  be  rent,  and  red  seas  part  at 


ELIJAH,    THE    TISHBITE.  247 

yrouT  bidding;  and  heaven's  wonderful  treasures  will  be  at 
your  command  ! 

I  am  profoundly  impressed  with  the  thought  that  the  grand 
defect  of  the  religion  of  the  day  is,  a  lack  of  strong,  unshaken 
confidence  in  the  power  of  prayer.  There  are  plenty  of  public 
forms  of  prayer,  and  great  activity,  energy,  and  enthusiasm 
in  missions,  and  Sabbath  Schools,  and  what  is  called  Christian 
enterprise ;  but  I  fear  that  the  strong,  wrestling  importunity, 
the  giving  up  of  days  to  faithful  pleading  with  God,  the  as- 
sured faith  that  the  very  things  asked  of  God  will  be  given, 
hov/ever  unlikely  to  the  eyes  of  sense,  or  the  cold  abstractions 
of  science,  which  marked  the  Christians  of  former  times,  are 
wanting.  God  grant  that  in  this-  I  may  be  mistaken,  but  I 
have  not  the  consolation  of  thinking  so,  from  all  I  see  and 
know  among  professing  Christians.  There  is  a  desperate  effort 
being  made  in  our  day  to  take  as  much  of  the  supernatural 
out  of  religion  as  possible,  and  prayer  is  largely  represented, 
not  as  man  asking,  and  God  directly  giving,  but  as  only  doing  us 
good  indirectly  by  bringing  our  minds  in  contact  with  God. 
If  men  ever  succeed  in  getting  the  supernatural  out  of  reli- 
gion, there  will  be  no  religion  left  worth  having — a  mere  cold 
compound  of  science  and  philosophy,  with  a  dark,  cheerless 
gloom  of  infidelity  to  pervade  all.  But  God  will  take  care  that 
such  a  time  shall  never  come. 

We  have  seen,  as  far  as  we  have  gone  in  this  book,  that  all 
these  men  of  faith  were  men  of  prayer.  They  asked  what 
they  wanted  direct  from  God,  and  got  direct  answers.  We 
can  see  that  they  were  not  troubled  with  the  modern  nonsense, 
held  by  some  calling  themselves  ministers  of  Christ,  that  God 
does  not  directly  give  us  anything  now,  but  that  all  there  is  in 
prayer  is  the  reflex  influence  it  has  upon  our  own  minds.  This 
is  an  invention  of  the  enemy  to  get  men  to  give  up  prayer  alto- 
gether ;  and  it  is  very  certain  that  Satan  would  not  tremble 
before  a  million  of  prayers  founded  on  such  a  theory. 

According  to  this  notion,  Abraham  did  not  keep  back  the 
storm  of  coming  wrath  for  a  time  from  Sodom ;  his  prayer 
only  produced  a  benevolent   effect  upon  his  own  mind.     On 


248  THE    world's    hope. 

the  same  theory,  that  little  band  in  John  Mark's  cottage,  pray- 
ing all  night,  had  no  effect  in  the  deliverance  of  Peter  from 
prison,  that  would  have  happened  at  any  rate ;  but  then  t^ey 
had  a  good  time ;  not  that  their  prayers  moved  God,  but  only 
moved  themselves.  Away  with  such  infidel  notions,  coming 
sneaking  into  Christian  pulpits  and  prayer  meetings,  under 
false  colors !  Every  real  Christian  knows  that  God  does  di- 
rectly answer  prayer  every  day ;  though  not  by  miracles,  for 
with  a  completed  revelation  that  is  not  necessary  ;  but  by 
proofs  of  His  interference  in  human  affairs  as  direct  as  any 
miracle. 

But  to  be  successful  at  a  throne  of  grace,  we  must  not  only 
have  faith,  but  be  willing  to  make  sacrifices  to  secure  special 
seasons  of  prayer.  The  gay,  the  worldly,  the  gambler,  give 
up  night  after  night  to  the  service  of  sin ;  do  we  give  up  an 
hour  of  the  quiet  night  to  be  alone  with  God  ?  In  some  of  his 
great  troubles,  Luther  was  heard  agonizing  in  prayer  thus : 
"  Oh  God !  Oh  thou  my  God  !  Help  me  against  all  the  wis- 
dom of  the  world.  Thou  should 'st  do  this.  The  work  is  not 
mine,  but  Thine.  I  have  no  business  here.  The  cause  is 
Thine,  and  it  is  everlasting  and  righteous."  And  again  he 
was  heard  crying,  "  Lord,  where  art  Thou  ?  My  God,  where 
art  Thou  ?  Come,  I  pray  Thee ;  I  am  ready  .  Behold  me 
prepared  to  lay  down  my  life  for  Thy  truth.  I  will  not  let 
Thee  go  ;  I  will  cling  to  Thee  forever.  Oh  God,  send  help  !" 
Listen  to  the  midnight  cry  of  John  Knox,  feeling  almost  at 
the  point  of  death  in  his  great  importunity ;  and  John  Welsh, 
found  by  his  wife  on  a  cold  night,  prostrate  on  the  floor, 
pleading  for  the  cause  of  God  in  Scotland.  Ah  !  this  is  some- 
thing different  from  saying  prayers.  Try  it,  my  reader.  You 
have  Jesus  for  your  example.  "  He  went  up  into  a  mountain 
to  pray,  and  contined  all  night  in  prayer  to  God."  Oh,  could 
we  only  have  hid  ourselves  behind  one  of  those  gray  rocks, 
and  listened  to  that  prayer!  We  would  forever  after  be 
ashamed  of  our  prayerless  praye?'s.  Up,  up  my  Christian 
friends ;  shake  off  sloth ;  working  for  God  is  good,  and  giving 
to  God   is  good,  but  none  of  these  will  avail  much  without 


ELIJAH,    THE    TISHBITE.  249 

the  closet  prayer  of  faith.  God  will  allow  you  to  come  very 
near,  and  use  great  familiarity,  if  you  only  fully  trust  his 
word.     Yea,  he  says,  "  Command  ye  me  !" 

"  Faith,  bold  faith,  the  promise  sees, 
And  trusts  to  that  alone  ; 
Laughs  at  impossibilities, 

And  says,  '  It  shall  be  done.' " 

Elijah  goes  by  the  command  of  God  to  the  brook  Cherith, 
a  quiet  retreat,  where  he  is  to  remain  till  events  ripen  for 
farther  action.  His  drink  is  to  be  the  little  stream  that  rolls 
babbling  over  its  pebbly  bed,  and  ravens  are  to  supply  his  food. 
Well  supplied  are  those  that  God  supplies.  Their  bread  shall 
be  given,  their  water  sure.  Their  gracious  Provider  tells  them 
not  to  be  anxious,  for  while  engaged  in  his  work,  he  undoubt- 
edly will  supply  their  wants.  Indeed,  his  promise  is  pledged 
to  that  effect,  and  all  undue  care  is  dishonor  done  to  his 
word. 

Dr.  Krlimmacher,  speaking  on  this  event  in  the  life  of  Elijah, 
relates  the  following  beautiful  illustration  : 

"This  God  still  liveth,  a  living  Savior,  who  is  always  to  be 
found' of  them  that  seek  him,  and  is  nigh  unto  them  that  call 
unto  him.  Mighty  hosts  are  encamped  about  his  servants, 
and  when  he  saith  '  Come,'  they  come,  or  '  Go,'  they  go.  And 
there  has  been  no  end  to  his  wonderful  providence,  even  to 
the  present  day.  What  else  was  it,  but  the  Lord  God  of 
.Elijah,  who,  but  a  short  time  since,  in  our  very  midst,  so  kindly 
delivered  a  poor  man  out  of  his  distress — not,  indeed,  by  a 
raven,  but  by  a  poor  little  fugitive  singing  bird  ?  You  are  all 
well  acquainted  with  the  circumstances.  The  poor  man  was 
sitting  at  his  front  door,  early  in  the  morning,  his  eyes  red 
with  weeping,  and  his  heart  crying  to  heaven,  for  he  was  ex- 
pecting an  officer,  that  very  day,  to  come  and  sell  his  property 
for  a  small  debt,  which  he  could  not  pay.  While  sitting  thus, 
with  a  heavy  heart,  a  little  bird  flew  through  the  street,  flutter- 
ing up  and  down,  as  I'f  in  distress,  until  at  length,  quick  as  an 
arrow,  it  flew  over  the  good  man's  head  into  his  cottage,  and 


250  THE    WORLD  S    HOPE. 

perched  itself  upon  an  empty  cupboard.  The  good  man,  little 
imagining  who  had  sent  him  the  bird,  closed  the  door,  caught 
the  bird,  and  put  it  in  a  cage,  where  it  immediately  began  to 
sing  very  sweetly,  and  it  seemed  to  him  as  if  it  were  singing 
the  tune  of  a  favorite  hymn,  viz.:  "  Fear  thou  not  when  dark- 
ness reigns,"  and  as  he  listened  to  it  he  found  himself  much 
soothed  and  comforted  by  its  melody. 

"  Suddenly  a  knock  is  heard  at  the  door.  '  Ah,  it  is  the 
officer,'  thought  the  poor  man,  and  arose  to  open  it  with  fear 
and  trembling.  But  no,  it  was  the  servant  of  a  very  respecta- 
ble lady.  He  said  that  the  neighbors  had  seen  a  bird  fly  into 
his  house,  and  he  wished  to  know  if  he  had  caught  it.  *  Oh, 
yes,'  answered  the  poor  man,  'and  here  it  is.'  In  a  few  min- 
utes the  servant  returned,  and  said  :  '  You  have  done  my  mis- 
tress a  great  service,  for  she  sets  a  high  value  upon  this  bird. 
She  is  much  obliged  to  you,  and  requests  you  to  accept  this 
trifle,  with  her  thanks."  The  poor  man  received  it  thankfully, 
and  it  proved  to  be  neither  more  nor  less  than  the  very 
SUM  for  which  he  was  sued. 

"  Soon  after,  the  officer  came;  the  poor  man  handed  him  the 
money,  saying,  ^ Here  is  you?'  7?w?iey,  God  hath  sent  it;  now 
leave  me  in  peace  /'  " 

Happy  they  who  have  a  firm  trust  in  this  God  and  his  con- 
trolling Providence.  In  great  peace  shall  they  possess  their 
souls.  Their  best  Friend  sits  at  the  helm  of  affairs,  and 
guides  in  such  a  way  that  all  things  shall  work  for  their  good. 
We  remember  the  story  of  the  distinguished  man,  who,  unable 
to  proceed  in  his  journey  on  account  of  a  storm,  was  groaning 
in  great  mental  distress,  and  unable  to  sleep.  His  pious 
servant  said,  "  Master,  do  you  not  believe  that  God  governed 
this  world  very  well  before  you  came  into  it.?"  "Yes,"  was 
the  reply.  "  And  do  you  not  believe  that  he  will  govern  it 
very  well  after  you  leave  it }  "  I  have  no  doubt  of  it."  "  Then, 
master,  can  you  not  believe  that  he  will  govern  it  all  right 
while  you  are  in  it.?"  To  this  he  made  no  reply,  but  shortly 
after  turned  over  and  went  to  sleep. 


ELIJAH,    THE    TISHBITE.  251 

More  than  two  years  have  passed,  and,  according  to  the 
word  of  Elijah,  the  drouth  continues ;  and  great  distress  be- 
gins to  prevail  in  the  guilty  land.  Even  the  brook  Cherith  has 
dried  up,  and,  by  Divine  direction,  the  prophet  has  gone  to 
reside  with  a  widow  of  Sarepta,  whose  little  store  failed  not 
while  he  remained  in  her  house.  But  on  these  matters  we 
cannot  dwell  at  length.  The  time  for  action  has  come,  and 
Elijah  shows  himself  to  the  king.  "  Art  thou  hs-  that  troubleth 
Israel.?"  is  the  angry  greeting  of  Ahab.  The  prophet  boldly 
replies,  "  I  have  not  troubled  Israel ;  but  thou  and  thy  father's 
house,  in  that  ye  have  forsaken  the  commandments  of  the 
Lord,  and  thou  hast  followed  Balaam."  He  demands  from 
the  king  an  opportunity  to  meet  the  priests  of  Baal  on  Mount 
Carmel,  in  the  presence  of  the  people ;  that  imposture  might 
be  exposed,  and  the  truth  of  God  vindicated.  This  righteous 
demand  Ahab  could  not  refuse,  and  messengers  are  sent  in  all 
directions  to  assemble  the  people. 

The  appointed  day  has  come,  and  the  expected  thousands 
begin  to  assemble.  The  ffTur  hundred  and  fifty  priests  of 
Baal,  and  the  same  number  of  the  priests  of  the  grove,  are  all 
there.  The  mountain  is  covered  with  an  eager  and  excited 
crowd,  and  great  results,  both  for  time  and  eternity,  hang  upon 
the  decisions  of  that  day.  The  crowd,  we  can  suppose,  are 
beginning  to  grow  impatient,  when,  in  the  outskirts  of  the 
throng,  there  is  an  excitement  seen.  It  is  the  wicked  king, 
who,  in  great  pomp  and  grandeur,  has  just  arrived.  The  mul- 
titude of  idolaters  lift  up  a  shout  of  welcome  that  seems  to 
smite  against  the  very  heavens,  while  old  Carmel  seems  to 
frown  down  upon  their  wicked  contempt  of  the  true  God. 

Again  the  crowd  becomes  quiet  under  the  hush  of  a  general 
expectation.  They  are  waiting  for  Elijah,  and  the  question  is. 
Will  he  come  ?  Some  there,  no  doubt,  are  hoping  that  he  has 
shrunk  back  from  the  trying  ordeal ;  but  there  he  comes,  across 
the  valley  of  Jezreel,  with  slow  and  solemn  step,  and  the  calm 
dignity  of  faith  in  Cxod  enthroned  upon  his  brov/.  He  loses 
no  time,  but  with  flashing  eye,  and  tones  of  thrilling  earnest- 
ness, says,  "  How  long  halt  ye  between  two  opinions  ?     If  the 


252 


THE    WORLD  S    HOPE. 


Lord  be  God,  follow  him;  but  if  Baal,  then  follow  him."  He 
pauses,  but  there  is  no  reply.  The  royal  lips  are  sealed  and 
the  false  priests  are  confounded.  He  then  proposes  a  fair  and 
equitable  arrangement  of  the  sacrifices,  saying,  "The  God  that 
answereth  by  fire,  let  him  be  the  God."  To  which  the  people 
all  shouted,  "  It  is  well  spoken." 

And  now  came  a  moment  of  great  anxiety.  The  priests  of 
Baal  began  calling  upon  their  God,  "  O  Baal,  hear  us  !"  And 
the  poor  fanatics  shouted,  and  danced,  and  made  the  most 
frantic  efforts  around  the  sacrifice  ;  but  no  sign  was  given,  no 
fire  from  heaven  came.  Elijah  had  stood  quietly  by  watching 
their  antics,  but  he  now  steps  forward,  and  in  words  of 
scathing  irony,  said,  "  Cry  aloud,  for  he  is  a  God ;  either  he 
is  talking,  or  he  is  pursuing,  or  he  is  on  a  journey,  or  perad- 
venture  he  sleepeth  and  must  be  awakened."  And  haggard, 
bleeding,  and  mortified,  these  deceivers  of  the  people  retire 
from  the  spot.  God's  true  servant  now  approaches,  and  to 
put  the  direct  interposition  of  God  beyond  all  doubt,  he  fills 
four  barrels  of  water  and  pour^  them  on  the  wood  and  the 
sacrifice ;  commands  this  to  be  done  a  second  and  a  third 
time,  till  all  is  drenched  with  water,  and  the  trenches  are  filled. 
Then  lifting  his  eyes  to  heaven  he  utters  an  earnest  prayer,  and 
fire  came  down  from  heaven  and  burneth  all  up,  as  if  it  had  been 
chaff  in  a  furnace.  AVith  a  shout  that  resounded  among  the 
mountain  peaks  and  caves,  the  people  fell  upon  their  faces, 
crying,  "The  Lord,  he  is  the  God;  the  Lord  he  is  the  God." 
These  wicked  priests,  the  deceivers  of  souls,  are  slain  accord- 
ing to  the  word  of  the  Lord,  and  the  truth  is  vindicated  before 
all  the  people. 

Idolatry  in  such  a  gross  form  as  we  see  it  here  is  disgusting 
to  us;  but  all  loving  of  earthly  things  instead  of  God  is 
idolatry.  Our  houses,  our  farms,  our  business,  and  our  chil- 
dren, may  all  become  our  idols,  by  having  that  place  in  our 
hearts  which  God  himself  should  occupy.  We  severely 
censure  these  Hebrews  for  departing  from  the  living  God,  bu^ 
in  so  doing  we  are  only  condemning  ourselves. 


ELIJAH,    THE    TISHBITE.  253 

Let  US  imitate  Elijah,  and  be  zealous  for  the  true  v/orship  of 
the  Lord.  He  has  written  the  great  truths  of  salvation  in  the 
Bible,  and  by  his  Spirit  written  them  again  upon  our  hearts ; 
and  we  ought  to  be  bold  in  their  defence.  We  are  encom- 
passed on  every  side  with  the  enemies  of  truth,  and  so  should 
contend  earnestly  for  the  faith  of  the  gospel.  Even  when 
religion  is  at  a  low  ebb,  its  friends  seemingly  few,  and  its  ene- 
mies m.any,  then  is  the  time  to  speak  out  for  God,  not  in  a 
corner  nor  in  a  whisper,  but  in  the  face  of  the  multitude,  and 
in  tones  loud  and  emphatic.  We  can  see,  in  the  case  of  the 
prophet,  what  good  one  bold,  earnest  man  can  do  when  ani- 
mated by  the  right  spirit.  Such  men  are  the  true  patriots  to 
their  country,  the  true  benefactors  of  their  race.  They  avert 
the  awful  judgments  of  God,  and  bring  down  im.perishable 
blessings  by  their  powerful  prayers. 

Let  us  be  co-workers  with  God  in  the  work  of  making  our 
sin-cursed  world  better.  The  hand  that  moves  the  stars  is 
working  for  man's  elevation.  That  heart  which  makes  all 
hearts  pulsate  feels  the  highest  interest  in  the  salvation  of 
souls ;  and  although  his  eye  takes  in  at  a  glance  the  whole  of 
his  glorious  works,  there  is  nothing  he  loves  so  well  to  see  as 
the  humble  and  contrite  heart  turned  toward  himself. 

Sinner !  Take  care  that  you  do  not  die  in  the  halt  betv/een 
two  opinions.  Are  you  sometimes  almost  persuaded  to  be 
wholly  for  Christ  ?  Do  not  hesitate  and  vacillate  any  longer ; 
but  nov/  take  the  Lord  for  your  portion  forever. 

But  we  must  return  to  the  course  of  the  prophet.  After  such 
a  display  of  God's  power  and  goodness  on  that  mount,  we 
would  suppose  that  he  would  go  on,  his  faith  n^axing  stronger 
and  stronger.  But  alas !  this  is  not  so.  When  the  Queen 
Jezebel  hears  of  what  has  happened,  she  is  filled  with  rage 
and  hate  against  the  man  of  God.  He  is  seized  with  a  sud- 
den panic  and  flees  for  his  life.  The  courageous  prophet 
of  yesterday  becomes  a  trembling  coward  to-day.  What  a 
poor,  changeable,  unreliable  creature  is  man,  if  not  found  lean- 
ing on  Divine  strength.     He  ought  to  have  known  that  he  was 


254  THE    world's    HOPE. 

only  safe  when  doing  God's  work,  and  that  to  cast  himself  out 
of  the  path  of  duty,  is  to  cast  himself  into  the  worst  danger. 
But  he  flees  into  the  wilderness  and  sits  down  under  a  juniper 
tree,  full  of  doubts  and  fears  and  despondency.  He  sleeps, 
and  after  partaking  of  food  miraculously  provided,  he  journeys 
on  to  Mount  Horeb. 

Here  he  takes  up  his  abode  in  a  cave,  very  likely  the  very 
same  in  which  Moses  once  found  a  refuge.  There  in  that 
desert  grandeur,  and  amid  its  awful  solitude,  he  wraps  his 
prophet's  mantle  around  him,  and  lies  down  on  the  hard  ground 
as  his  bed,  congratulating  himself  on  his  safety.  All  at  once 
he  is  startled  by  a  voice :"  What  doest  thou  here,  Elijah .?" 
How  that  question  must  have  confounded  him.  No  work  to 
do  there,  no  mission  of  love  to  souls  to  accomplish  there ;  but 
plenty  of  great,  noble  work  to  do,  from  which  he  had  fled.  The 
question  was  three  times  repeated,  and  like  as  we  all  do,  when 
he  had  no  good  reason  to  give  for  his  conduct,  he  presented 
an  excuse.  "  I  have  been  very  zealous  for  the  Lord  God  of 
hosts  ;  for  the  children  of  Israel  have  forsaken  thy  covenant, 
thrown  down  thine  altars,  and  slain  thy  prophets  with  the  sword  ; 
and  I,  even  I  only,  am  left,  and  they  seek  my  life  to  take  it 
away." 

How  patiently  and  condescendingly  the  Lord  dealt  with  his 
erring  child.  He  bids  him  come  forth  and  stand  upon  the 
summit  of  old  Horeb,  around  the  hoary  brow  of  which  cluster 
such  immortal  remembrances.  There  the  Lord  passes  before 
him  in  a  representation  full  of  terror  and  full  of  meaning. 
First  there  is  a  mighty  wind  that  rends  the  rocks  and  tears  up 
the  trees  by  the  roots  and  casts  all  things  on  the  surface  into 
a  wild  confusion.  This  is  followed  by  an  earthquake  that 
comes  rumbling  and  grumbling  through  the  mountain,  and  ex- 
torting many  a  groan  from  its  flinty  bosom.  But  look !  the 
whole  mountain  seems  on  fire,  forked  flames  leaping  from  point 
to  point,  bursting  through  every  fissure  and  threatening  the 
prophet  with  instant  destruction.  But  in  none  of  these  agents 
of  terrible  power  did  God  show  himself  to  Elijah.  Hark !  he 
hears  a  voice,  still  and  small,  sweet  in  its  tones  of  love,  and  he 


ELIJAH,    THE    TISHBITE.  255 

knew  that  God  was  in  that  voice.     His  Lord  had  not  come  to 
destroy,  but  to  save,  not  in  wrath  but  in  love. 

To  every  wandering  child  of  God  the  question  comes,  "What 
dost  thou  here  V  If  in  wicked  and  worldly  society  to  do  them 
good,  or  in  the  discharge  of  some  plain  duty,  then  we  can  ex- 
pect God's  protection;  but  if  we  run  into  danger  or  go  to 
worldly  society  from  choice,  as  Peter  did,  then  we  are  in  great 
spiritual  peril.  To  those  who  go  into  scenes  of  sinful  dissipa- 
tion and  amusement,  God  says,  "What  dost  thou  here  V  When 
Peter  was  in  the  company  where  he  denied  his  Lord,  one  of 
them  put  to  him  that  searching  question,  "  Did  not  I  see  thee 
m  the  garden  with  Him  .?"  How  he  must  have  felt  these  words, 
for  the  gardeil  was  connected  with  most  solemn  and  impressive 
remembrances.  So  when  professing  Christians  go  to  the  giddy 
ball-room,  to  the  theater,  to  places  of  fashionable  resort  where 
God  is  openly  dishonored,  they  may  be  asked,  "  Did  not  I  see 
thee  at  the  communion-table  with  him  .?  or  at  the  prayer-meet- 
ing, or  making  a  public  profession  of  your  love  to  him,  and 
recording  your  vows  forever  to  be  his  ?" 

And  nothing  can  restore  the  wandering  soul,  but  the  still 
small  voice  that  comes  from  Calvary.  The  whirlwind  may 
produce  a  surface  change,  a  mere  outv/ard  movement ;  the 
earthquake  may  go  deeper  and  reveal  the  inward  evils  that  lay 
under  the  mere  exterior ;  and  the  fire  may  alarm  and  terrify, 
but  the  power  of  God  to  salvation  is  only  in  the  Cross.  It  is 
the  still  small  voice  which  says,  "  It  is  finished,"  which,  plead- 
ing for  the  guiltiest  of  the  guilty,  says,  "  Father,  forgive  them 
for  they  know  not  what  they  do."  And  if  the  sweet,  melting 
love  that  beams  forth  from  that  hallowed  spot,  does  not  lift  us 
up  to  God,  purifying  our  hearts  and  making  us  new  creatures, 
then  we  are  lost  indeed. 

Elijah  returns  from  Horeb  by  the  wilderness  of  Damascus, 
and  to  his  great  joy  he  finds  that  there  are  seven  thousand 
faithful  souls  in  Israel  who  had  not  bowed  the  knee  to  Baal. 
In  our  seasons  of  depression  we  are  apt  to  view  things  through 
the  false  medium  of  our  own  dark  conceptions.  God  has  ever 
kept  a  seed  to  serve  him.     In  obscurity,  in  retirement,  scarcely 


256  THE    world's   hope. 

known  to  the  world,  nor  wanting  to  be  known,  he  has  those 
who  love  him  with  pure  hearts  fervently,  and  had  rather  die 
than  dishonor  his  cause. 

Elijah  comes  back  to  his  work  with  renewed  courage.  He 
found  Ahab  and  his  queen  still  engaged  in  their  wicked  prac- 
tices. To  gain  possession  of  a  coveted  vineyard  he  has  mur- 
dered Naboth,  and  is  going  down  in  great  state  to  take  pos- 
session of  his  ill-gotten  gain.  All  at.  once  he  sees  a  man 
approaching  him  with  a  steady  step  and  stern  look.  Had  the 
murdered  man  appeared  before  him  in  his  bloody  shroud  he 
could  not  have  been  more  startled,  for  he  sees  that  it  is  the 
prophet  of  God,  and  he  knowing  that  he  comes  with  the  rebuke 
of  the  Lord  upon  his  lips.  Fixing  his  eye  upon  the  king,  he  said, 
"  Hast  thou  killed  and  taken  possession  ?  in  the  place  where 
dogs  licked  the  blood  of  Naboth,  shall  they  lick  thy  blood,  even 
thine."  With  scowling  brow  but  guilty  fear  in  every  feature, 
he  says  to  the  prophet,  "  Hast  thou  found  me,  O  my  enemy !" 
"I  have  found  thee,"  was  the  laconic,  but  terrible  reply. 

The  scene  when  Elijah  opens  the  windows  of  heaven  by  his 
fervent  prayers,  is  most  graphic  and  highly  instructive.  At 
first  there  is  but  a  little  cloud  like  a  man's  hand,  but  he  pleads 
on  with  faith  encouraged  and  strengthened  by  this  sign.  The 
cloud  increases  till  it  curtains  the  whole  heavens  in  darkness, 
and  then  breaks  in  teeming  showers  upon  the  parched  and 
burning  earth.  All  nature  quickens  into  life  under  the  heaven- 
sent blessing,  and  as  streams  of  water  leap  from  rock  to  rock, 
and  roll  down  the  mountains  and  fill  up  the  rivers  and  brooks, 
the  beds  of  which  had  so  long  been  dry,  who  does  not  see  that 
God  is  the  hearer  of  prayer.  So  God,  in  answer  to  prayer,  still 
pours  out  refreshing  showers  of  spiritual  blessings  upon  his 
people.  John  Livington,  of  Scotland,  called  a  number  of  his 
brethren  around  him  and  proposed  that  they  should  spend  a 
whole  night  in  prayer  for  a  blessing  on  the  preaching  of  the 
gospel ;  and  the  very  next  day  five  hundred  were  converted. 
In  like  manner  a  number  of  Christians  in  Enfield,  Massachu- 
setts, spent  a  whole  night  in  prayer  just  before  President  Ed- 
wards preached  that  awful  sermon,  "  Sinners  in  the  hands  of 


ELIJAH,    THE    TISHBITE.  257 

an  angry  God,"  under  which  great  numbers  were  converted. 
It  is  well  known  how  greatly  blessed  that  school  of  the 
prophets,  at  Hamilton,  New  York,  has  been.  It  was  founded 
in  prayer  and  in  every  strait  its  founders  called  upon  God.  In 
the  life  of  Dr.  Nathaniel  Kendrick  the  following  fact  is  stated  : 
"  The  meetings  of  the  board,  particularly  in  the  early  history 
of  the  seminary,  often  presented  scenes  of  deep  and  moving 
interest.  They  were  not  so  much  seasons  for  the  dry  discus- 
sion of  business  as  of  prayer,  inasmuch  as  from  their  great 
extremity  they  were  driven  to  ask  counsel  of  God  and  implore 
deliverance  from  embarrassment  through  his  interposition.  At 
one  meeting  in  1826,  most  of  the  time  was  spent  in  earnest 
prayer  and  strong  crying  to  God  for  direction.  The  board 
felt  the  need  of  a  suitable  edifice  to  accommodate  the  growing 
school,  and  besides,  it  was  in  a  great  measure  destitute  of 
funds  to  aid  those  whom  they  had  received  as  beneficiaries. 
At  the  meeting  now  referred  to,  the  only  vote  passed  was  one 
appointing  a  day  of  fasting  and  prayer,  some  weeks  from  that 
session.  It  was  a  dark  hour,  but  just  the  darkness  that  pre- 
cedes the  cheerful  light  of  day.  For  those  prayers  were  taking 
effect.  They  disturbed  the  sleep  of  Mr.  Nicholas  Brown,  of 
Providence,  Rhode  Island,  and  he  dreamed  nightly  about  Ham- 
ilton. And  so  he  came  to  his  pastor.  Dr.  Gano,  and  said, 
'  They  are  in  trouble  at  Hamilton,  I  think,  for  I  can't  sleep 
nights;  my  dreams  about  them  disturb  me.  Do  you  know 
their  condition?'  Upon  being  told  that  he  was  ignorant  of 
their  exact  condition,  Mr.  Brown  said,  'You  must  go  and  see;' 
and  upon  this  Dr.  Gano  made  the  journey  to  Hamilton,  at  Mr. 
Brown's  expense,  and  finding  out  their  great  distress,  and  re- 
porting it  to  Mr.  Brown,  he  at  once  sent  them  one  thousand 
dollars,  which  relieved  their  perplexity." 

Those  who  honor  God  he  delights  to  honor.  Elijah  had 
long  stood  a  bold  and  fearless  defender  of  the  right;  fighting 
right  manfully  the  battles  of  the  Lord.  And  now  his  heavenly 
Master  wants  him  home,  and  is  going  to  take  him  in  a  tri- 
umphant chariot  of  fire.  He  is  informed  of  his  coming  glory, 
and  we  can  form  no  idea   of  the  hallowed  joy  which  he  must 


258  THE    world's    hope. 

have  carried  about  in  his  soul  as  he  walked  about  among  his 
fellow-men — in  the  world  but  not  of  it.  His  last  visit  is  paid 
to  the  school  of  the  prophets,  for  he  could  not  but  feel  a  deep 
interest  in  those  who  are  to  stand  up  for  truth  and  righteous- 
ness when  he  is  gone.  God's  ministers  are  never  so  taken  up 
with  their  future  blessedness  as  to  forget  the  interests  of  that 
loved  Zion  for  which  they  have  labored  and  wept  and  prayed, 
and  nothing  can  please  them  better  than  to  see  good,  faithful 
men  of  prayer  and  faith  coming  forward  to  take  their  places, 
and  to  grasp  the  standard  that  is  falling  from  their  failing  and 
trembling  hands. 

So  great  were  the  thoughts  that  came  crowding  upon  the 
mind  of  the  prophet  at  this  moment  that  he  wished  to  be 
alone ;  but  his  faithful  friend  Elisha,  knowing  what  was  to  oc- 
cur, would  not  leave  him.  His  soul  clung  to  his  Master  the 
more  closely  as  the  last  moment  of  parting  approached.  Our 
privileges  are  more  valued  as  they  are  about  to  take  their  de- 
parture;  and,  no  doubt,  he  wished  to  catch  his  friend's  last 
words  and  his  parting  blessing.  See  these  two  good  men  jour- 
neying on  together,  the  one  soon  to  be  in  glory,  the  other 
about  to  begin  a  career  of  great  usefulness.  Fifty  of  the  sons 
of  the  prophets  stand  at  the  distance  to  view  the  expected 
translation.  The  miraculous  events  of  the  Bible  were  not 
done  in  secret.  Our  Lord's  miracles  were  all  performed  in 
the  open  day,  and  for  the  most  part  before  great  numbers.  He 
showed  himself  after  his  resurrection  to  five  hundred  brethren 
at  once,  and  breathing  upon  his  followers  his  parting  blessing, 
he  was  taken  up  into  heaven  before  many  witnesses. 

Elijah  is  not  to  die  in  the  vv^ay  appointed  to  other  men ;  but 
he  must  pass  over  Jordan  before  he  mounts  his  chariot  of  fire. 
The  stroke  of  his  mantle  parts  the  waters,  and  now,  turning  to  his 
friend,  he  says,  "Ask  what  I  shall  do  for  thee  before  I 
am  taken  from  thee."  He  did  not  tell  him  to  ask  for  some- 
thing when  he  M^as  a  glorified  saint  in  heaven  ;  no,  he  was  to 
ask  now,  for  nowhere  does  God  encourage  petitions  to  be 
made  to  the  redeemed  in  glory.  "  Let  a  double  portion  of 
thy  spirit  be  upon  me."     O  happy  man  !  to  have  in  his  heart 


ELIJAH,    THE    TISHBITE.  259 

such  a  wise  wish — such  a  holy  choice.  Wealth  will  perish, 
honors  die  away,  and  fame  is  but  a  puff  of  breath ;  but  a 
holy  disposition  comes  from  God,  and,  like  its  source,  can  never 
die.  We  are  to  covet  earnestly  the  best  gifts  ;  those  which  will 
make  us  the  most  holy  and  the  most  useful.  If  such  is  our 
choice  to-day,  our  Heavenly  Father  says,  "  Ask  what  ye  will, 
and  itshall  be  done  unto  you."  According  to  our  faith  are  our 
gifts  in  regard  to  spiritual  things. 

Elijah  confessed  the  difficulty  of  answering  such  a  request, 
and  said  that  its  being  granted  was  to  depend  upon  one  con- 
dition :  "  If  thou  see  me  when  I  am  taken  from  thee,  it  shall 
be  so  unto  thee  ;  but  if  not,  it  shall  not  be."  We  are  told  that 
this  holy  man  was  going  on  talking  when,  all  at  once,  the  heav- 
enly chariot  came  for  him.  When  he  got  the  intimation 
that  he  was  soon  to  leave  earth,  he  did  not  retire  to  some  cell  or 
cave  of  the  earth,  but  went  on  until  the  last  moment  attending 
to  the  ordinary  duties  of  life.  Let  us  seek  so  to  live  that  when 
the  Master  sends  for  us  we  may  be  found  about  His  business. 

Elisha  sees  the  ascension  of  his  friend  and  cried  out,  "  My 
Father,  my  Father,  the  chariot  of  Israel,  and  the  horsemen 
thereof!"  He  rends  his  garments  as  a  token  of  his  sorrow; 
for  though  the  event  was  gain  to  his  old  Master,  it  was  a  great  loss 
to  him  and  to  the  church. of  God  ;  heaven  was  richer  but  earth 
was  poorer  by  the  departure  of  such  a  good  man.  In  this  as- 
cension the  mantle  of  Elijah  falls  to  the  earth.  It  is  not  taken 
and  laid  up  in  the  school  of  the  prophets,  to  be  venerated 
and  worshiped  as  a  holy  relic.  Such  things  can  only  be  done 
when  true,  intelligent  piety  gives  place  to  superstition.  He 
casts  it  about  him,  and  sad  and  solitary  he  journeys  on  to  be- 
gin the  great  work  to  which  he  has  been  called  and  set  apart. 

The  whole  history  of  Elijah  shows  how  God  honors  his  dear 
servants.  Down  to  the  last  hour  of  their  national  existence, 
the  Jews  felt  the  holy  influence  of  this  good  man.  In  no  period 
of  the  world's  history  has  the  Lord  left  himself  without  faith- 
ful witnesses,  and  when  one  is  taken  av/ay  to  his  glorious  home 
another  comes  forth  with  heavenly  credentials  to  prove  that 
he  is  the  sent  of  God. 


26o  THE    world's    HOPE. 

After  centuries  had  passed  away  with  this  good  man  in 
heaven,  he  was  permitted  to  visit  our  earth.  He  had  seen  our 
adorable  Redeemer  leave  his  throne  in  glory  to  come  to  earth 
to  lay  down  his  life  for  sinners ;  and  when  the  time  drew  near 
for  the  tragic  scenes  of  Calvary  to  transpire,  he  and  Moses 
were  permitted  to  meet  our  Lord  on  the  Mount  of  Transfigur- 
ation. The  leader  and  law-giver  of  Israel  and  one  of  the 
most  distinguished  among  the  prophets,  are  sent  to  pay  their 
adoration  to  their  Lord,  in  the  presence  of  his  disciples.  In 
him  both  the  law  and  the  prophets  find  their  fulfillment,  and 
these  holy  visitors  from  the  courts  of  glory  joined  with  those 
on  earth  who  were  beginning  to  love  him,  to  "  Crown  him  Lord 
of  all." 

^  Here  was  a  visit  to  earth  made  by  glorified  human  beings. 
No  doubt  God  employs  them  often  on  errands  of  love.  Often 
may  those  that  have  been  taken  from  us  be  near  us  when  we 
know  it  not;  and  when  the  last  hour  of  our  earthly  probation 
shall  come,  they  will  be  among  those  who  shall  give  a  glad 
welcome  to  our  liberated  spirits  to  our  eternal  home. 

But  we  must  bid  farewell  to  the  prophet  of  Carmel.  We 
part  with  him  reluctantly,  for  the  contemplation  of  his  strong 
and  noble  character  does  us  good.  His  is  a  life  well  worth  re- 
cording. The  most  that  can  be  said  of  a  great  majority  of  our 
race  is,  that  they  lived,  that  they  were  worse  than  useless,  and 
that  they  died.  But  here  was  a  life  in  earnest,  a  life  dedicated 
to  God,  and  useful  through  all  time  to  men.  The  earth  of  our 
planet  contains  not  his  dust,  but  passing  through  some  change 
it  is  glorified,  like  as  the  bodies  of  the  saints  shall  be  after  their 
resurrection.  How  glorious  to  spend  an  eternity  with  such 
men  }  But  O  how  much  more  glorious  to  see  Him  face  to  face 
iviio  died  for  our  offences ! 

"'Though  earth  has  full  many  a  beautiful  spot, 
As  a  poet  or  painter  might  show. 
Yet  more  lovely  and  beautiful,  holy  and  bright, 
To  the  hopes  of  the  heart,  and  the  spirit's  glad  sight, 
Is  the  land  that  no  mortal  may  know." 


ELIJAH,    THE    TISHBITE.  261 

"  There  the  crystaline  stream  bursting  forth  from  the  throne, 
Flows  on,  and  for  ever  will  flow ; 
Its  waves,  as  they  roll,  are  with  melody  rife, 
And  its  waters  are  sparkling  with  beauty  and  life, 
In  the  land  which  no  mortal  may  know. 

**  And  there,  on  its  margin,  with  leaves  ever  green, 

With  its  fruits  healing  sickness  and  woe, 

The  fair  Tree  of  Life,  in  its  glory  and  pride. 

Is  fed  by  that  deep,  inexhaustible  tide, 

Of  the  land  which  no  mortal  may  know. 

"  There,  too,  are  the  lost !  whom  we  loved  on  this  earth. 

With  whose  mem'ries  our  bosoms  yet  glow ; 
Their  relics  we  gave  to  the  place  of  the  dead, 
But  their  glorified  spirits  before  lif  have  fled 

To  the  land  which  no  mortal  m^'^r  know. 

**  There  the  pale  orb  of  night,  and  thf  'fountain  of  day. 

Nor  beauty  nor  splendor  bestow  ; 
But  the  presence  of  Him,  the  unchanf*^g,  I  Am  ! 
And  the  holy,  the  pure,  the  immaculate  Lamb  ! 

Light  the  land  which  no  mortal  may  I^"\ow. 

**  Oh  !  who  but  must  pine,  in  this  dark  vale  of  tears. 
From  its  clouds  and  its  shadov/s  to  go  ? 
To  walk  in  the  light  of  the  glory  above, 
And  to  share  in  the  peace,  and  the  joy,  and  th<»  h:*TBf 
Of  the  land  which  no  mortal  may  know." 


262  THE    world's   hope. 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 

ELISHA,    THE    PROPHET    OF    THE    SUCCESSION. 

That  most  devoted  Christian,  the  Rev.  Samuel  J.  Mills, 
when  in  a  deeply  distressed  state  of  mind  on  account  of  his 
sins,  said  to  his  mother,  "  O  that  I  had  never  been  born  !  For 
two  years  I  have  been  sorry  God  ever  made  me."  Her 
noble  reply  was,  "  My  son,  you  are  born,  and  you  can  never 
throw  off  your  existence,  nor  your  everlasting  accountability 
for  your  conduct."  God  has  a  plan  of  our  lives,  and  the 
noblest  spirit  we  can  cultivate  is,  to  be  a  cheerful  co-worker 
with  God  in  all  his  holy  purposes  and  designs,  and  in  the 
darkest  hour  to  believe  that  he  is  leading  us  in  the  right  way.  , 
Fletcher  said,  "  I  have  been  forced  by  many  disappointments 
to  look  for  comfort  in  nothing  but  in  the  comprehensive 
words,  ' Thy  will  be  done'  A  few  more  trials  will  convince 
you  experimentally  of  the  heavenly  balm  they  contain  to 
sweeten  the  pains  and  heal  the  wounds  that  crosses  and  afflic- 
tions may  cause." 

When  the  heavenly  call  came  to  Elisha,  it  found  him  at  the 
plough ;  and  leaving  all  his  worldly  entanglements,  he  followed 
the  divine  direction,  till  now  we  find  him  the  honored  suc- 
cessor of  the  translated  prophet.  When  great  men  are 
removed  from  the  church  we  are  ready  to  feel  as  if  the  cause 
of  God  had  sustained  an  irreparable  loss.  But  God  knows 
the  end  from  the  beginning  ;  and  though  he  takes  the  most 
useful  of  his  servants  away,  yet  he  sees  to  it  that  his  own  cause 
shall  not  suffer  for  want  of  agents  to  carry  it  on.  It  is  true 
that  it  is  a  solemn  event  when  God's  faithful  servants  are 
taken  away.  We  feel  as  if  the  bulwarks  of  the  church  were 
torn  away,  and  as  if  the  wild  waves  of  error  could  now  roll  in 
with  impunity.     But  God  is  in  the  midst  of  his  church,  and 


ELISHA,    THE    PROPHET    OF    THE    SUCCESSION.  263 

she  shall  not  be  moved.  Their  holy  example,  their  fervent 
prayers,  their  wise  counsels,  are  greatly  missed ;  but  their 
work  is  taken  up  by  others,  to  whom  a  kindred  spirit  is  given, 
and  the  cause  of  truth  stands  secure  as  the  throne  of  God. 

When  God  called,  and  inspired  his  prophets  and  apostles 
he  did  not  disturb  or  change  their  natural  talents,  or  the 
peculiarities  of  temperament  and  disposition,  which  constituted 
their  individuality  among  men.  On  the  contrary,  he  uses 
these  for  his  own  glory  and  the  edification  of  his  people. 
Moses  was  naturally  meek  and  sagacious  ;  Isaiah,  full  of  poetic 
fire  ;  Peter,  all  zeal  and  impetuosity  ;  John,  gentle  and  loving ; 
and  Paul,  logical  and  intellectual ;  and  so  they  were  all  unlike 
to  each  other  in  some  respects,  and  *yet  alike  in  having  the 
same  spirit,  and  working  to  the  accomplishment  of  the  same 
object.  Luther  and  Melancthon  were  no  more  alike  than  is 
the  violet  and  the  rose,  yet  they  both  ornamented  the  garden 
of  the  Lord.  Carey  and  Judson,  were  very  different,  yet  their 
hearts  both  burned  with  missionary  zeal.  So  with  Elijah 
and  Elisha ;  there  was  a  wonderful  unity  in  their  lives,  and 
yet  a  marked  individuality  distinguished  each. 

"  Distinct  as  the  billows,  yet  one  as  the  sea." 

The  new  prophet  has  much  hard  work  before  him ;  for 
Israel  is  now  in  a  dark  and  wicked  state.  The  corrupt  king 
Ahab  is  dead ;  but  his  wife,  equally  corrupt  and  with  more 
force  of  character,  is  still  alive.  False  gods  are  still  wor- 
shiped, while  "  darkness  covered  the  land,  and  gross  dark- 
ness the  people."  Elisha  goes  to  Jericho,  to  the  school  of  the 
prophets,  to  wait  for  further  manifestations  of  his  Lord's  will. 
We  must  both  wait  and  work,  in  God's  service.  They  who 
wait,  renew  their  strength,  and  so  are  more  fit  for  their  work. 
The  fisherman  is  not  always  engaged  in  catching  fish,  but  must 
sometimes  be  employed  in  mending  his  nets.  And  so  must  it 
be  with  fishers  of  men.  Even  the  temporary  residence  of  a 
good  man  in  a  place  is  a  blessing  to  it.  The  inhabitants  of 
the  city  came  to  the  prophet,  and  represented  that  they  had 
one  great  draw-back  to  the  prosperity  of  the  place — -the  water 


264  THE    world's    hope. 

was  bad.  Josephus  mentions  a  spring  at  this  place  that  was 
injurious  to  health,  and  made  the  trees  and  the  fruits  of  the 
earth  decay. 

Elisha  at  once  listens  to  the  petition  of  the  people  to  heal 
their  waters.  Our  most  common  mercies  are  the  most  impor- 
tant, but  this  truth  is  only  recognized  when  they  are  taken 
from  us.  By  a  direct  miracle  the  waters  were  rendered 
healthful  and  pleasant.  He  thus  took  an  early  opportunity,  in 
a  public  and  influential  manner,  to  show  his  credentials  as  one 
sent  of  God.  The  whole  Bible  is  founded  on  miracle,  and  all 
the  attempts  of  men  to  explain  these  on  natural  principles  are 
utterly  silly  and  absurd.  On  this  subject  a  clear  reasoner,  Dr. 
Uhlhorn,  says : 

"  Miracles  cannot  be  got  out  of  the  Bible,  either  by  natural 
explanation  or  by  figurative  interpretation.  Nor  is  it  of  any 
use  to  abate  something  here  and  there,  to  set  aside  this  or  that 
miracle  entirely,  or  to  conceive  its  miraculous  quality  to  be  less 
miraculous,  for  the  least  miracle  is  as  incomprehensible  as  the 
greatest.  In  vain,  also,  is  the  attempt  to  disjoin  the  miracles ; 
to  separate  them  as  deh-is^  and  to  hold  fast  only  what  remains, 
for  all  Christianity  rests  fundamentally  upon  the  miracle  of  the 
appearance  of  Christ ;  and  whoever  rejects  miracles  must 
also  reject  the  fundamental  fact  of  Christianity,  the  chief 
article  of  the  Christian  faith.  Nor  is  this  all ;  he  must  reject 
all  revelation,  for  revelation  is  miracle.  And  if  he  then,  per- 
haps, comforts  himself  with  the  thought  that  natural  religion 
still  remains,  this  consolation  also  rests  fundamentally  upon 
illusion.  To  speak  plainly,  whoever  denies  miracles  has  no 
God.  He  may  always,  if  only  from  an  instinctive  fear  of 
atheism,  hold  fast  that  there  is  a  God,  but  it  is  a  dead  word,  a 
name,  for  this  God  stands  in  no  living  relation  to  the  world. 
Man  has  nothing  to  hope  or  to  fear  from  him.  Prayer  is  no 
longer  possible,  for  all  praying  depends  upon  the  conviction 
that  God  grants  what  we  ask.  If  God  performs  no  miracles, 
and  can  perform  none ;  or,  in  other  words,  if  he  no  longer 
acts  in  this  world,  if  he  is  shut  out  of  it,  if  the  order  of  nature 
does  not  admit  him,  if  everything  that  takes  place  is  nothing 


ELISHA,    THE    PROPHET    OF    THE    SUCCESSION.  265 

but  an  unbroken  chain  of  final  causes  and  effects— tlien  prayer 
depends  upon  an  illusion ;  and  the  illusion  must  sooner  or 
later  become  evident  to  man,  shrink  as  he  may  from  this  con- 
clusion of  his  reason." 

"  I  would  therefore  ask  you  not  to  shrink  from  a  clear  per- 
ception of  the  whole  scope  and  bearing  of  this  question,  from 
the  beginning  to  the  end.  Strauss  is  perfectly  right  in  treat- 
ing the  question  of  miracles  as  the  question  of  the  existence 
of  Christianity,  He  who  does  away  with  miracles  not  only 
banishes,  as  Strauss  says,  the  priests  from  the  Church  ;  he 
banishes  the  Church  itself,  and  Christianity,  and  the  living 
God,  besides." 

Mercy  and  judgment  are  blended  together  in  God's  ways, 
and  so  must  they  be  in  the  actions  of  his  prophets,  and  the 
teaching  of  his  ministers.  Elisha  had  just  performed  a  mira- 
cle of  great  mercy  to  a  whole  city,  but  now  we  are  to  see  the 
flashing  of  the  sword  of  Divine  justice.  While  on  his  way  to 
Mount  Carmel,  he  had  to  go  through  Bethel,  a  place  rendered 
memorable  by  the  vision  which  Jacob  had  there.  It  is  now  a 
wicked  and  profane  place,  where  the  altars  of  the  true  God 
are  thrown  down,  and  where  idol  worship  abounds.  As  soon 
as  the  man  of  God  came  in  view  of  the  place,  there  came  out 
a  large  number  of  wicked  youths,  in  our  translation  rendered 
little  children.  The  word,  however,  is  used  in  reference  to 
young  men,  or  persons  grown  up.  Very  likely  they  were 
sent  out  by  the  idolatrous  priests  to  insult  the  prophet. 

These  profane  youths  began  to  shout,  "  Go  up,  thou  bald 
head!  Go  up  thou  bald  head!"  No  doubt  by  the  phrase, 
"  Go  up,"  they  referred  to  the  translation  of  Elijah,  and  thus 
showing  their  hatred  of  both  the  prophets.  The  blighting 
curse  of  God  fell  upon  them  there  and  then ;  and  forty-two  of 
them  were  torn  by  two  she  bears  that  came  out  of  the  woods. 
Let  this  teach  young  people  to  stand  in  awe  and  sin  not.  God 
will  avenge  any  disrespect  shown  to  his  aged  servants,  and, 
sooner  or  later,  all  contempt  displayed  to  the  religion  of 
heaven,  through  its  professors,  will  recoil  upon  the  heads  of 
those  who    manifest   it.     In    this  case    the    parents   were    as 


266  THE    world's    HOPE. 

guilty  as  their  children.  They  had  trained  them  up  in  igno- 
rance of  the  true  God,  and  had  set  them  an  example  of  mock- 
ing at  sacred  things. 

Alas !  even  among  professing  Christians  there  is  too  little 
respect  shown  to  God's  servants  in  the  presence  of  the  young. 
How  often  will  some  peculiarity  of  person  or  manner,  some 
weakness  of  God's  ministers,  be  made  a  subject  of  ridicule  or 
rude  jest  in  the  presence  of  the  children;  and  that,  too,  just 
after  returning  from  the  house  of  prayer.  Need  they  wonder 
if  these  young  people  get  into  the  habit  of  scoffing  at  all  min- 
isters ;  and  to  mock  at  the  messenger  of  truth  is  the  sure  way 
to  learn  to  mock  the  message  itself.^  Let  such  remember  that 
God  will  not  be  mocked,  and  that  as  they  sow  so  will  they 
reap.  They  have  sowed  in  laughs  and  mockery  at  holy  things, 
and  so  God  says  that  he  will  "  laugh  at  their  calamities,  and 
mock  when  their  fear  cometh." 

But  we  must  pass  to  several  events  in  the  life  of  this  good 
man,  in  which  the  power  of  God  was  shown  to  be  with  him. 
Traveling  about  in  the  Lord's  work,  he  one  day  entered 
Shunem.  There  dwelt  a  woman  of  wealth,  and  of  a  kind  and 
hospitable  heart.  She  urged  him  to  make  her  house  his  home, 
which  proposal  is  accepted,  and  "  as  oft  as  he  passed  by  he 
turned  in  thither  to  eat  bread."  This  good  woman  projected 
a  plan  for  making  him  still  more  comfortable,  and,  consulting 
with  her  husband  about  it,  "  a  prophet's  chamber  "  was  built 
on  the  wall ;  and  there  he  found  a  quiet  resting-place  and  a 
spot  for  uninterrupted  communion  with  God. 

All  this  kindness  on  the  part  of  this  family  excited  the 
prophet's  gratitude ;  and  that  Lord  who  takes  notice  of  even 
a  cup  of  water  when  given  to  his  people  from  a  right  motive, 
did  not  let  their  kindness  pass  without  its  reward.  This 
couple  had  lived  long  together,  but,  as  yet,  their  home  had  not 
echoed  the  glad  voice  of  childhood's  prattle.  They  were 
childless.  God,  in  answer  to  the  prophet's  prayer,  sends  them 
a  lovely  boy,  and  we  can  easily  imagine  how  their  fond  hearts 
would  cling  around  him.     The  whole  aspect  of  their  home  is 


ELISHA,    THE    PROPHET    OF    THE    SUCCESSION.  267 

changed,  and   he  grows  up  under  their  loving  care,  a  happy 
and  dutiful  boy. 

But,  alas  !  he  is  soon  taken  from  them.  Being  out  with  his 
father  in  the  field  one  day,  he  is  seized  by  the  cold  hand  of 
death.  Perhaps  that  very  morning  his  mother  had  gazed  upon 
him  proudly,  and  thought  of  what  a  prop  he  would  be  to  her 
declining  years ;  but  before  noon  she  looks  upon  his  pale  face, 
on  which  death  has  stamped  his  seal. 

How  does  this  fond  mother  act  under  this  crushing  blow? 
Does  she  give  way  to  that  wild  and  clamorous  grief  that 
murmurs  against  God.^  No,  far  from  it.  She  hastens  to 
Mount  Carmel  to  tell  her  sorrows  to  Elisha,  and,  in  reply  to  his 
question,  "Is  it  well  with  the  child.?"  she  answered,  "It  is 
well.''  Sweetly  meek  and  submissive  under  this  severe  trial, 
she  looks  up  through  her  tears  into  the  face  of  her  Heavenly 
Father,  and  said,  "It  is  well."  She  dreads  to  return  to  her 
home,  for  its  chief  joy  has  gone  out  in  darkness,  but  //  is  well. 
That  bright  eye  which  always  met  the  kindred  glance  of  her 
own  love  is  closed  in  death,  but  //  is  well.  Silent  now  is  the 
tongue  that  spoke  to  her  such  loving  words,  and  cold  now  are 
the  lips  that  kissed  her  so  fondly,  but  //  is  well.  Oh  woman, 
great  is  thy  faith  !  From  thy  bright  example  may  we  learn  to 
trust  God  when  we  cannot  see  him,  and  to  say,  in  the  wildest 
storm  that  beats  upon  us,  "//  is  well.''' 

Is  is,  doubtless,  a  sore  affliction  to  a  mother  when  her  babe 
is  torn  from  her  bosom.  Through  her  fast  falling  tears  she 
says : 

**  One  little  bud  adorned  my  bower, 
And  shed  sweet  fragrance  round; 
It  grew  in  beauty  every  hour, 
Till,  ah  .'  the  spoiler  came  in  power, 
And  crushed  it  to  the  ground." 

But,  tenderly  as  a  mother  loves,  he  who  has  taken  the  dear 
one  loves  it  still  more.  Yes,  afflicted  mother,  your  babe  is  in 
safe  hands.  Your  Lord  will  take  good  care  of  it  for  you  ;  and 
if  you  are  one  of  Christ's  redeemed  ones,  you  will  find  your 
darling  again,  so  bright  and  so  loving,  and  so  happy  that  you 


268  THE    world's    HOPE. 

will  be  compelled  to  acknowledge  that  your  Friend  above  did 
all  things  well.  To  a  weeping  mother,  standing  over  the  little 
dead  body  of  her  babe,  a  good  minister  said,  ''  Your  child  will 
have  two  Fathers  in  heaven,  but  only  one  mother."  So  you 
see  it  is  not  lost  to  you.  It  is  yours  still,  and  will  be  yours 
forever. 

To  those  who  have  children  in  heaven,  let  it  lend  a  new 
attraction  to  that  bright  world  for  you.  Dr.  Payson,  I  believe 
it  was,  who  said  that  he  thought  more  of  heaven  since  his  wife 
had  gone  to  be  a  citizen  of  the  golden  city.  Many  a  mother 
takes  a  deep  interest  in  some  far  distant  land,  that  before  she 
cared  not  for,  because  her  son  or  daughter  now  lives  there.  It 
is  a  great  privilege  to  have  a  child  in  glory,  singing  God's 
high  praise.  But  do  not  miss  the  way,  and  make  the  parting 
an  eternal  one.  Put  your  hand  into  that  of  your  adorable 
Savior,  and  he  will  lead  you  safely  in  through  the  golden  gate, 
to  go  no  more  out  forever. 

But,  to  proceed  with  our  narrative ;  the  prophet  goes  to  the 
house  of  mourning  with  the  sad  woman,  prays  over  the  dead 
child,  and  gives  him  alive  once  more  to  the  now  joyful  mother. 
O,  how  blessed  to  the  people  of  God  will  be  the  day  when  the 
same  power  that  wrought  this  change  shall  raise  from  the  dead 
those  who  sleep  in  Jesus,  and  death-divided  friends  shall  meet, 
not  only  in  spirit  but  in  the  body,  and  be  for  ever  with  each 
other  and  with  the  Lord.  Then,  even  in  the  flesh,  shall  we  see 
the  Lord. 

Naaman's  cure  of  leprosy  by  Elisha  is  full  of  instruction  and 
interest.  When  read  in  the  light -of  the  Cross  of  Christ,  it  is 
full  of  gospel  truth.  As  I  have  dwelt  at  length  upon  this  inci- 
dent in  my  book  called  "  Grace  and  Truth,"  I  will  now  only 
refer  to  a  few  points  not  there  spoken  of  at  any  great  length. 
In  some  of  Naaman's  invasions  of  war  he  had  carried  away  a 
number  of  captives  out  of  the  land  of  Israel.  Among  them 
was  a  little  maid  whom  he  gave  to  his  wife  to  wait  upon  her. 
As  an  old  writer  says,  "  A  small  chink  may  serve  to  let  in 
much  light,"  and  so  this  little  maid  brings  a  great  blessing, 
both  temporal  and  spiritual,  to  that  house.     A  great  wrong  had 


ELISHA,    THE    PROPHET    OF    THE    SUCCESSION.  269 

been  done  her,  she  had  been  torn  away  from  nome  and  dear 
friends,  and  perhaps  some  very  dear  to  her  had  been  slain  by  the 
conqueror  ;  yet,  instead  of  sitting  down  in  sullen  despair  and 
brooding  over  her  wrongs,  she  seeks  to  return  good  for  evil, 
and  tells  her  mistress  of  the  man  of  God  in  Israel  who  could 
cure  her  husband  of  his  loathsome  disease. 

There  is  work  in  this  world  for  every  child  of  God  to  do. 
The  fields  are  white  to  harvest,  and  the  weakest  and  the  fee- 
blest can  gather  in  a  little  for  the  Lord.  One  can  give 
time  to  the  work  of  making  the  world  better,  while  an- 
other can  give  money.  One  can  employ  the  ready  pen, 
another  the  eloquent  tongue,  and  a  third  the  prayer  of  faith. 
The  great  thing  is,  to  have  "  a  mind  to  work  "  for  Jesus.  If  we 
have  the  love  of  Jesus  in  our  hearts,  that  will  make  us  ingen- 
ious in  finding  out  plans  to  promote  his  glory.  To  speak  a 
word  to  some  one  whom  you  have  influence  with,  to  send  a 
tract  to  some  one  in  a  letter,  following  it  with  much  prayer, 
and  to  set  an  example  such  as  all  can  see  who  honor  the  Lord, 
are  means  of  doing  good  open  to  all. 

Naaman  hears  the  words  of  the  little  maid  concerning  the 
man  of  God.  Faith  cometh  by  hearing,  and  faith  at  once 
brings  forth  works.  So  with  great  pomp  and  much  display  of 
his  greatness,  he  comes  to  Elisha.  In  one  thing  he  fails.  He 
is  not  disposed  to  take  the  blessing  of  a  cure  from  God  in  the 
humble  way  it  is  offered.  He  must  have  the  blessing  in  his 
way,  not  in  God's  way.  His  way  is  to  pay  for  it ;  God's  way, 
to  give  it  for  nothing.  His  way  is  for  the  man  of  God  to  come 
to  him,  go  through  some  splendid  and  impressive  ceremonies, 
and  then  a  cure  be  effected ;  God's  way  was  that  the  prophet 
was  not  to  see  him  at  all,  to  perform  no  rites,  nor  ceremonies, 
but  simply  to  tell  him  to  dip  his  diseased  body  seven  times  in 
Jordan.  God  would  not  bow  to  his  plan,  and  he  would  not 
bow  to  God's;  and  so,  in  a  rage,  he  was  about  to  carry  his  dis- 
ease back  with  him,  had  he  not  repented,  that  is,  changed  his 
mind. 

It  is  the  old  story  over  again,  as  old  as  the  .all  of  man. 
Maji  wants  to  pay  a  price  for  his  salvation.     He  wants  to  put 


270  THE    world's    hope. 

forms  and  rites  and  stately  performances  in  the  place  of  the 
worship  of  the  heart.  The  religion  of  form  is  the  religion  of 
fallen  humanity.  We  need  not  wonder  at  the  great  popularity 
of  ritualism  in  the  present  day.  It  will  cgme  to  this  by  and 
by,  that  nearly  all  who  are  not  in  Christ  by  a  living  faith  will 
have  a  religion  of  form,  and  the  more  gorgeous  and  pompous 
the  form,  the  more  fashionable  it  will  be.  This  is  so  clearly 
illustrated  in  the  following  little  narrative  that  my  readers  will 
be  pleased  that  I  quote  it : 

"  Alice  was  an  only  child,  an  heiress.  Lovely  and  accom- 
plished, she  lived  for  this  world,  and  this  world  offered  her  no 
ordinary  attractions.  Idolized  by  her  parents,  and  beloved  by 
an  accepted  suitor,  she  knew  not  the  meaning  of  a  wish  ungrat- 
ified. 

"  But  an  unexpected  visitor  arrived  at  the  mansion.  A  pale 
messenger  came  to  Alice.  A  hectic  flush  suffused  her  beauti- 
ful face  rendering  it,  if  possible,  more  lovely  still.  The  eagle 
eye  of  affection  soon  perceived  that  the  seeds  of  consumption 
had  been  laid.  The  skilled  physician  pronounced  the  heart- 
rending verdict  that  her  days  were  numbered  and  self-indul- 
gence would  soon  close. 

"  Alice  sank  by  degrees,  and  as  she  lay  on  her  couch,  sur- 
rounded with  all  the  luxuries  that  wealth  could  procure,  began 
to  think  how  sad  it  was  to  leave  her  loving  friends  and  all  her 
brilliant  prospects,  and  to  go  — where  ?  where  ? 

"  She  could  not  find  an  answer  satisfactory  to  her  soul. 

"  So  she  sent  for  the  High  Church  clergyman.  He  came. 
The  family  were  assembled.  He  produced  a  missal.  They 
all  knelt  around  the  bed.  He  intoned  the  service  for  the  sick. 
Having  received  her  confession,  and  pronounced  absolution, 
he,  with  peculiar  genuflexions,  administered  the  sacrament,  and 
placing  his  hands  on  her,  blessed  her,  and  pronounced  her  a 
good  child  of  the  Church.  He  departed,  perfectly  satisfied 
with  his  own  performances,  and  assuring  the  parents  that  all 
was  right. 

*'  Was  Alice  satisfied  ? 


ELISHA,    THE    PROPHET    OF    THE    SUCCESSION.  27 1 

"  She  had  submitted  to  all.  She  had  endeavored  to  join  in 
the  service,  but  in  her  immortal  soul  she  felt  a  blank. 

*"  Father,'  said  she,  'I  am  going  to  die.  AVhere  am  I 
going.?' 

"  The  father  gave  no  reply. 

" '  Mother,  darling,  can  you  tell  me  what  I  am  to  do  to  get  to 
heaven.?' 

"  No  reply,  save  tears. ' 

*' '  WiUiam,  you  who  were  to  be  the  guide  of  my  life,  can  you 
tell  me  anything  of  the  future.?' 

"  No  response. 

"  '  I'm  lost !  lost !'  she  exclaimed.  'Am  I  not,  father  ?  Is  there 
any  one  who  can  tell  me  what  I  must  do  to  be  saved  .?* 

"  At  length  the  father  spoke. 

" '  My  child,  you  have  always  been  a  dutiful  daughter,  and 
have  never  grieved  your  parents.  You  have  regularly  attended 
the  Abbey  Church  and  helped  in  its  services,  and  the  minister 
has  performed  the  rights  of  the  Church  and  expressed  himself 
satisfied  with  your  state.' 

"  '  Alas  !  father,  I  feel  that  is  not  enough.  It  is  no  rest  to 
my  soul.  It  is  hollow — it  is  not  real.  Oh  !  I  am  going  to  die^ 
and  I  know  not  where  I  am  going.  Oh!  the  blackness  of  the 
darkness!     Can  no  one  tell  me  what  I   can   do   to  be  saved.?' 

"  Blank  despair  was  pictured  on  her  countenance.  Misery 
overshadowed  the  circle.  They  were  overtaken  by  a  real 
danger.  Death  was  in  their  midst.  Eternity  was  looming 
before  them.  They  knew  not  how  to  answer  the  appeal  of  au 
immortal  soul,  awakened  to  a  sense  of  sin — to  a  dread  of  ap- 
pearing before  God — to  the  terror  of  hell. 

"Alice  was  attended  by  a  little  maid,  who  was  in  the  habit  of 
frequenting  a  meeting  held  in  a  barn  in  the  village,  where 
prayer  and  praise  were  offered  up  in  simplicity,  and  where 
they  sang  the  old  hymns  : 

"  There  is  a  fountain  filled  with  blood, 
Drawn  from  Immanuel's  veins, 
And  sinners  plunged  beneath  that  flood, 
Lose  all  their  guilty  stains  ; " 

and 


272  THE    WORLD  S    HOPE. 

"  I  lay  my  sins  ou  Jesus, 

The  spotless  Lamb  of  God  ; 
He  bears  them  all,  and  frees  us 
From  the  accursed  load  ; " 

and  where  she  heard  words  which  reminded  her  of  the  good 
old  pastor. 

"  She  longed  to  tell  her  mistress  that  she  might  '  wash  and  be 
clean,'  but  felt  diffident.  At  last  she  took  courage,  and  just 
as  the  Israelitish  captive  said  unto  Naaman's  wife,  '  Would  God 
my  lord  were  with  the  prophet  that  is  in  Samaria,  for  he 
would  recover  him  of  his  leprosy,'  she  told  her  mistress, 
'  There  is  a  preacher  in  the  village  who  proclaims  salvation 
through  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  urges  us  to  accept 
the  forgiveness  freely  offered  in  the  gospel.' 

"  '  Oh  that  I  could  see  him  !'  exclaimed  the  dying  girl. 

"  Alice  besought  her  father  to  invite  the  strange  preacher  to 
the  house ;  and  though  he  thought  it  extraordinary,  her  wish 
was  law. 

"Again  the  family  were  assembled,  and  the  man  of  God 
entered  the  room.  The  dying  girl,  raising  herself,  appealed  to 
him ;  '  Can  you  tell  me  what  I  must  do  to  obtain  rest  for  my 
soul,  and  die  at  peace  with  God  .-*' 

"'I  fear  I  cannot.' 

"Alice  fell  back.  *Alas!'  said  she,  'and  is  it  so.^  Is  there 
no  hope  for  me  .-*' 

"  'Stay,'  said  he,  'though  I  cannot  tell  you  what  you  can 
do  to  be  saved,  I  can  tell  you  what  has  been  done  for  you. 

" '  Jesus  Christ,  the  Savior  God,  has  completely  finished  a 
work  by  which  lost  and  helpless  sinners  may  be  righteously 
saved.  God,  who  is  love,  saw  us  in  our  lost  and  ruined  state. 
He  pitied  us,  and  in  love  and  compassion  sent  Jesus  to  die  for 
us.  '  God  so  loved  the  world  that  he  gave  his  only  begotten 
Son,  that  whosoever  believeth  in  him  should  not  perish,  but 
have  everlasting  life.'  He  shed  his  precious  blood  on  the 
accursed  tree,  in  the  stead  and  place  of  sinners,  that  they 
might  be  pardoned  and  saved.  'Believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  and  thou  shalt  be  saved,' 


ELISHA,    THE    PROPHET    OF    THE    SUCCESSION.  273 

"  '  And  I  have  nothing  to  do  ?' 

"  *  Nothing,  but  to  believe.  No  doing,  working,  praying, 
giving,  or  abstaining,  can  give  relief  to  a  conscience 
burdened  with  a  sense  of  guilt,  or  rest  to  the  troubled 
heart.  It  is  not  a  work  done  in  you  by  yourself^  but  a  work 
done/.i?r  you  by  another^  long,  long  ago.  Jesus  has  completed 
the  work  of  our  redemption.  He  has  said,  'It  is  finished,* 
Through  faith  in  him  you  have  pardon.  It  is  impossible  for  a 
sinner  to  do  ought  to  save  himself.  It  is  impossible  to  add 
anything  to  the  perfect  work  of  Christ,  Doing  is  not  God's 
way  of  salvation,  but  ceasing  from  doing,  and  believe  what 
God  in  Christ  has  already  done  for  you.  '  God  has  given  to  us 
eternal  life  and  this  life  is  in  his    Son, ' 

"  '  I  do  believe  that  Jesus  died  on  the  cross  for  sinners  ;  but 
how  am  I  to  know  that  God  has  accepted  me  V 

''  *  Jesus,  the  God-man,  has  ascended  into  heaven.  He  has 
presented  his  blood  before  God,  and  has  been  accepted  for 
us;  and  when  you  believe,  you  are  accepted  in  him.' 

"  The  awakened  sinner  listened  with  breathless  attention. 
She  received  the  word  of  God,  which  revealed  Christ  to  her 
soul.  The  glad  tidings  fell  as  a  bahii  upon  her  wounded 
spirit.  Her  face  was  lit  up  with  heaven's  sunlight.  Looking 
upwards,  she  exclaimed,  '  Oh,  what  love  \  what  grace  I 
'  Jesus,  thy  blood  and  righteousness 
My  beauty  are,  my  glorious  dress.' 

And  in  a  few  days  she  departed  to  be  with  Christ." 

Naaman,  listening  to  better  counsel  than  his  own  prejudices 
and  national  pride,  and  so  in  obeying  the  word  of  the  Lord, 
went  home  cured  in  body,  and  with  his  soul  filled  with  a  clear 
conception  of  the  Great  Jehovah,  and  determined  to  worship 
him  only. 

An  incident  here  occurred,  that  is  so  full  of  warning  and 
instruction,  that  we  must  not  pass  it  by  in  silence.  Gehazi 
was  a  servant  of  Elisha,  and,  it  has  been  supposed,  was  with 
Elijah  in  the  same  capacity.  Gratitude  for  his  cure,  led 
Naaman  to  press  upon  the  prophet  the  acceptance  of  a  very 
liberal  present.     His  wish  was  to  impress  upon  the  mind  of 


274  THE    WORLD  S    HOPE. 

this  distinguished  heathen,  that  the  gifts  of  God  can  not  be 
bought,  that  all  was  of  free  grace,  and  his  reply  to  the  gene- 
rous offer  was,  "As  the  Lord  liveth,  I  will  accept  none." 

Then  it  was  that  the  wicked  thought  of  enriching  himself 
by  a  lie  occurred  to  the  mind  of  Gehazi.  He  thought  that  it 
was  too  bad  that  this  rich  man  should  carry  back  all  this 
wealth  to  his  own  country.  If  his  master  had  false  scruples 
about  receiving  a  gift,  he  had  none ;  and  acting  on  the  wicked 
impulse,  he  runs  after  the  carriage  of  Naaman,  and,  under  a 
false  representation,  obtains  the  desire  of  his  heart. 

Ah  I  how  little  do  we  know  our  own  weakness  till  the  day  of 
trial  comes.  We  think  ourselves  strong,  fortified  by  a  good 
reputation  built  up  steadily  by  a  life  time  of  moral  integrity ; 
and  if  any  man  were  to  suggest  a  departure  from  the  straight 
line  of  honesty,  we  would  indignantly  exclaim,  "  Is  thy  serv- 
ant a  dog  that  he  should  do  this  thing  .^"  But  when  the  unex- 
pected hour  of  trial  comes,  the  very  thing  is  done  the  mention 
of  which  was  so  repulsive.  That  stream  seems  very  bright 
and  clear ;  you  would  not  think  that  there  is  a  great  deal  of 
mud  and  impurity  lying  at  the  bottom,  till  something  occurs  to 
stir  it  up,  and  then  we  are  astonished  to  find  a  filthy  puddle 
instead  of  a  pure,  sparkling  stream. 

Gehazi  carries  his  gains  into  the  tower,  or  secret  place,  and 
having  hid  it  securely  away,  puts  on  a  look,  as  if  nothing  had 
occurred,  and  boldly  goes  into  the  presence  of  the  prophet. 
Little  did  he  think  that  all  was  already  known,  and  that  his  sin 
had  found  him  out.  Elisha  calmly  rebukes  him,  and  pro- 
nounces his  punishment,  which  was,  that  the  loathsome  disease 
of  Naaman  should  cleave  to  him  all  his  days.  Ah !  how 
empty  his  gains  would  seem  now.  He  had  been  thinking  him- 
self rich;  perhaps,  in  imagination,  picturing  to  himself  the 
things  he  would  buy,  and  in  the  style  in  which  he  would  live. 
But  now,  with  his  health  gone,  his  character  gone,  all  enjoy- 
ment in  life  gone,  a  disgraced  and  ruined  man,  he  slunk  away 
from  the  society  of  men ;  carrying  with  him  the  conviction 
that  all  this  misery  he  had  pulled  down  on  his  own  head. 

We  see  that  we  may  fall  into  sin,  while  possessing  the  very 


ELISHA,    THE    PROPHET    OF    THE    SUCCESSION.  275 

best  religious  privileges.  The  means  of  grace  and  the  grace  of 
the  means  are  very  different.  This  man  dwelt  in  the  house- 
hold of  this  holy  man,  saw  his  godly  life  and  heard  his  fervent 
prayers ;  and  yet,  was  not  made  better  by  either.  So  Judas 
enjoyed  our  Lord's  ministry,  and  saw  his  holy  example,  and  yet 
was  lost.  And  it  is  worthy  of  notice  that  both  those  men  were 
ruined  by  the  same  sin,  the  sin  of  covetousness.  "They  that 
will  be  rich,  fall  into  temptations  and  a  snare,  and  many  hurt- 
ful lusts  that  drown  men  in  destruction  and  perdition." 

But  to  return  to  the  life  of  Elisha ;  that  noble  man  goes  on 
in  his  career  of  doing  good  on  every  hand.  The  sons  of  the 
prophets  were  enlarging  the  place  of  their  abode,  and  to  save 
one  of  theiu  from  distress,  a  miracle  is  wrought.  The  king  of 
Syria  was  preparing  ambuscades  against  Israel,  but  his  designs 
are  exposed  by  the  prophet.  This  so  enraged  the  king  that 
he  sends  an  armed  host  to  apprehend  him.  His  servant  was 
much  alarmed,  and  cried,  "  Alas  !  my  master,  how  shall  we 
do.?"  But  the  prophet  was  quite  calm  and  serene  in  the  midst 
of  all  the  danger.  His  reply  was,  "  Fear  not ;  for  they  thai 
be  with  us  are  more  than  they  that  be  with  them."  He  re- 
ferred to  a  great  multitude  of  angels  with  which  they  were  en- 
compassed, and  which  the  young  man's  eyes  were  opened  to 
see.  If  we  could  clearly  see  the  means  that  God  has  taken  for 
our  protection  how  trifling  would  our  outward  and  physical 
dangers  seem.  This  host  of  armed  men  were  stricken  with 
blindness,  so  that  the  prophet  led  them  to  the  king  of  Israel, 

In  the  course  of  this  book  we  see  how  much  holy  angelg 
have  to  do  with  the  affairs  of  men ;  and  what  a  deep  interest 
they  have  taken  in  the  progress  of  our  race.  Called  into  ex- 
istence before  man,  gifted  with  superior  intellectu^tl  powers, 
and  having  no  body  of  flesh  to  encumber  them,  they  are  capa- 
ble of  putting  forth  mighty  efl'orts  in  carrying  out  God's  will. 
Hence  they  are  called  "mighty  angels,"  and  are  said  to 
"excel  in  strength."  Their  home  has  been  the  highest  heav- 
ens ever  since  their  creation,  and  as  they  have  been  permitted 
to  appear  in  the  immediate  presence  of  God,  to  behold  his 
beauty,  and  to  see  his  holy,  wise  and  sovereign  goodness,  as 


276  .  THE    world's    hope. 

the  ages  have  rolled  away,  we  can  form  no  conception  of  how 
great  their  knowledge  of  God  must  be.  Sinlessly  pure,  they 
are  able  the  better  to  comprehend  the  greatness  of  Jehovah, 
and  so  bow  before  him  in  profound  humility. 

We  learn  that  the  number  of  these  holy  ones  is  very  great. 
"Ten  thousand  times  ten  thousand  stood  before  him."  Our 
adorable  Lord  said  that  he  could  invoke  to  his  aid,  "  More 
than  twelve  legions  of  angels  ;"  and  Paul  speaks  of  them  as  "an 
innumerable  company  of  angels."  There  seems  to  be  different 
degrees  of  glory  among  them,  as  we  read  of  "  thrones,  do- 
minions, principalities,  and  powers."  And  the  angels  Michael 
and  Gabriel  are  spoken  of  as  leaders  among  the  heavenly 
throng.  But  they  all  "  do  His  commandments,  hearkening  to 
the  voice  of  his  word." 

When  the  creating  word  called  our  world  into  existence, 
these  holy  beings  sang  forth  their  emotions  of  delight,  yea 
shouted  for  joy,  and  all  the  way  down  the  history  of  our 
planet,  they  have  v/atched  over  the  servants  of  the  Lord, 
stimulating  them  to  duty,  and  protecting  them  from  dangers. 
The  Psalmist  tells  us  that  they  encamp  around  God-fearing 
people,  for  their  deliverance;  and  that  the  Lord  gives  his 
angels  charge  over  them.  They  have  often  been  sent  forth  as 
ministers  of  destruction,  as  well  as  of  mercy.  They  are  never 
idle,  for  they  not  only  praise  God  in  strains  to  mortal  ears  un- 
known, but  are  quick  as  the  flash  of  the  lightning  to  go  forth 
on  his  errands.  These  holy  angels  have  taken  a  great  interest 
in  the  plan  of  salvation.  Though  they  need  no  Savior  them- 
selves, they  rejoice  in  the  love  shown  to  us,  in  God's  unspeak- 
able gift.  They  announced  our  Lord's  incarnation  to  Joseph 
and  Mary;  and  to  the  shepherds  told  of  his  birth- in  songs  of 
rapture,  the  echo  of  which  still  sounds  around  our  globe, 
"  Glory  to  God  in  the  highest,  and  on  earth  peace,  good  will 
to  men."  Yea,  God's  command  to  the  angels  concerning  his 
Son  was,  "  Let  all  the  angels  of  God  worship  him."  And  they 
did  worship  him,  with  all  the  power  of  their  pure  natures. 

During  the  whole  of  our  blessed  Lord's  sojourn  on  earth, 
these  holy  angels  waited  upon  him.  After  his  temptation  in  the 


ELISHA,    THE    PROPHET    OF    THE    SUCCESSION.  277 

wilderness,  after  his  agony  in  the  garden,  and  on  other  occa- 
sions, angels  ministered  to  him.  It  was  one  of  them  that 
rolled  away  the  stone  from  the  sepulchter,  and  when  oar  Lord 
was  taken  up  to  glory,  two  shining  ones  appeared  to  the  apos- 
tles, and  told  of  his  coming  again  to  this  earth. 

These  holy  ones  take  a  great  interest  in  the  spiritual  well- 
being  of  Christians.  They  rejoice  over  their  conversion  ;  and 
in  regard  to  young  converts,  our  Lord  says,  "  Take  heed  that 
ye  despise  not  one  of  these  little  ones,  for  1  say  unto  you^  that 
in  heaven  their  angels  do  always  behold  the  face  of  my  Father 
which  is  in  heaven."  And  when  Christians  die,  we  learn  from 
the  case  of  Lazarus,  that  they  carry  their  souls  to  their  future 
glorious  home. 

And  when  the  great  day  of  judgment  shall  come,  the  angels 
shall  be  our  Lord's  attendants.  Yea,  they  are  to  herald  his 
approach,  for  Jesus  says,  "  He  shall  send  his  angels  with  a 
great  sound  of  a  trumpet,  and  they  shall  gather  together  his 
elect  from  the  four  winds,  from  one  end  of  heaven  to  the 
other."  And  it  is  evident  that  they  are  to  have  something  to 
do  in  carrying  out  the  sentence  that  is  to  be  pronounced  from 
the  great  white  throne. 

Have  we  reason  to  believe  that  these  celestial  beings  are 
employed  in  the  affairs  of  earth,  as  of  old  ?  I  have  no  doubt 
of  it.  We  may  be  assured  that  they  are  not  idle,  and  surely 
this  sin-cursed  world  is  not  now  independent  of  their  aid.  It 
may  suit  the  purposes  of  the  poet  to  represent  their  agency  in 
human  affairs,  as  only  a  beautiful  picture  of  the  imagination, 
and  to  speak  of  their  visits  as  "few  and  far  between.'  But 
God's  word  represents  them  as  constantly  near  us,  interested 
in  our  movements,  watching  for  our  welfare,  and  often  putting 
forth  kind  and  active  exertions  for  our  good.  If  the  veil  could 
only  be  taken  from  our  eyes,  as  in  the  case  of  Elisha's  servant, 
we  would  be  astonished  at  their  numbers  around  us,  and  con- 
founded at  our  own  unbelief.  Let  us  seek  to  imitate  these 
holy  beings  in  their  steady  obedience  to  the  will  of  their 
Lord;  and  seek  so  to  live  in  their  presence  and  in  the  pres- 
ence of  their  Lord,  as  we  shall  wish  we  had  when  we  come  to 
stand  amid  the  realities  of  eternity. 


278 


THE    WORLD  S    HOPE. 


We  now  come  to  near  the  closing  scenes  of  Elisha's  life. 
The  inhabitants  of  Samaria,  being  besieged,  were  perishing  by- 
famine.  The  prophet  predicted  that  day  there  would  be  a 
great  plenty  in  the  city.  One  of  the  courtiers  ridiculed  this 
assertion,  and  was  told  that  he  would  see  it,  yet  perish  in  the 
midst  of  the  plenty.  For  upwards  of  sixty  years  from  the 
time  of  his  appointment  to  his  high  office,  he  went  on  to  fulfill 
its  high  duties  with  untiring  zeal.  At  last  his  release  came. 
Among  the  weeping  friends  that  stood  around  his  death-bed 
was  Joash,  the  king.  Though  not  translated  in  the  body,  he 
had  a  triumphant  entry  into  the  heavenly  kingdom. 

Let  us  serve  his  Lord  as  he  did,  with  zeal  and  fidelity.  We 
may  not  be  known  far  from  our  homes,  but  nothing  honestly 
said  or  done  for  God  can  be  lost.  This  is  beautifully  brought 
out  by  the  following  lines  by  Dr.  Bonar : 

"  Up  and  away,  like  the  dew  of  the  morning, 
Soaring  from  earth  to  its  home  in  the  sun — 
So  let  me  steal  away,  gently  and  lovingly. 
Only  remembered  by  what  I  have  done. 

"  My  name  and  my  place  and  my  tomb,  all  forgotten, 
The  brief  race  of  time  well  and  patiently  run, 
$0  let  me  pass  away,  peacefully,  silently. 
Only  remembered  by  what  I  have  done. 

"  Gladly  away  from  this  toil  would  I  hasten, 
Up  to  the  crown  that  for  me  has  been  won; 
Unthought  of  by  man  in  rewards  or  in  praises, 
Only  remembered  by  what  I  have  done. 

"  Up  and  away,  like  the  odors  of  sunset, 

That  sweeten  the  twilight  as  darkness  comes  on, — 
So  be  my  life, — a  thing  felt  but  not  noticed, 
And  I  but  remembered  by  what  I  have  done. 

"  Yes,  like  the  fragrance  that  wanders  in  freshness, 

When  the  flowers  that  it  came  from  are  closed  up  and  gone, — 
So  would  I  be  to  this  world's  weary  dwellers, 
Only  remembered  by  what  I  have  done. 


ELISHA,  THE    PROPHET    OF    THE    SUCCESSION.  279 

•'  Needs  there  the  praise  of  the  love-written  record, 
The  name  and  the  epitaph  graven  on  the  stone  ? 
The  things  we  have  lived  for, — let  them  be  our  story, 
We  ourselves  but  remembered  by  what  we  have  done. 

"  I  need  not  be  missed,  if  my  life  has  been  bearing 
(As  its  summer  and  autumn  moved  silently  on) 
The  bloom,  and  the  fruit,  and  the  seed  of  its  season; 
I  shall  still  be  remembered  by  what  I  have  done. 

"  I  need  not  be  missed,  if  another  succeed  me, 

To  reap  down  those  fields  which  in  spring  I  have  sown; 
He  who  ploughed  and  who  sowed  is  not  missed  by  the  reaper, 
He  is  only  remembered  by  what  he  has  done. 

"  Not  myself,  but  the  truth  that  in  life  I  have  spoken, 
Not  myself,  but  the  seed  that  in  life  I  have  sown. 
Shall  pass  on  to  ages. — all  about  me  forgotten, 

Save  the  truth  I  have  spoken,  the  things  I  have  done. 

**  So  let  my  living  be,  so  be  my  dying ; 

So  let  my  name  lie,  unblazoned,  unknown; 
Upraised  and  unmissed,  I  shall  still  be  remembered; 
Yes, — but  remembered  by  what  I  have  done." 


28o  THE    world's    HOPE. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 
DANIEL,  THE  PROPHET  OF  THE  COURT. 

Daniel  was  one  of  the  children  of  the  captivity.  Isaiah  had 
prophesied,  "  Thy  sons  shall  be  chamberlains  in  the  palace  of 
the  King  of  Babylon,"  and  little  more  than  a  century  had 
passed  when  this  prophecy  was  fulfilled.  The  people  of  Israel, 
with  their  king,  nobles  and  priests  were  carried  into  captivity, 
and  out  of  those  of  princely  birth  were  chosen  four  to  serve 
in  the  court  of  the  king  of  Babylon.  One  of  these  was  Dan- 
iel, a  man  who  towers  up  before  us,  preeminent  for  the  great- 
ness of  his  soul — the  grandeur  of  his  moral  nature. 

As  drawn  before  us  by  the  pen  of  inspiration,  he  appears 
a  faultless  character.  We  do  not  mean  to  say  that  he  was  a 
sinless  man,  for  he  had  to  be  saved  by  grace,  like  all  that  ever 
have  been  saved.  But  he  stands  up  before  the  ages  as  they 
pass,  a  bright  example  of  what  God's  grace  can  build  up  out 
of  the  ruins  of  our  moral  nature ;  a  lofty,  generous,  pure  and 
true  man ;  anxious  to  live  in  love  and  peace  with  all,  and  yet 
firm  as  a  rock,  where  any  principle  of  right  was  involved  ;  will- 
ing to  obey  those  that  had  authority  over  him,  and  ready  to 
conciliate  his  captors  in  every  way  consistent  with  truth  and 
righteousness ;  but  all  the  kings  of  the  earth,  and  all  the  ter- 
rors that  power  can  accumulate,  could  not  make  him  swerve 
one  hair's  breadth  from  the  obedience  which  he  owed  to  the 
great  King  of  kings.  The  fact  that  such  a  man  lived  in  our 
world  has  proved  a  blessing  to  our  common  humanity,  and  his 
very  name  and  example  brings  strength  and  comfort  to  the 
tempted  and  the  tried. 

It  should  be  remembered  that  Daniel  was  quite  young  when 
brought  into  this  heathenish  court,  not  more  than  eighteen 
years  ;  and  this  makes  his  noble  resistance  of  wrong  and  his 


DANIEL,    THE    PROPHET    OF    THE    COURT.  281 

bold  Stand  for  the  ris^ht  all  the  more  wonderful.  In  order  that 
he  and  his  companions  might  be  fit  to  appear  before  the  king, 
according  to  oriental  notions,  they  are  to  be  taught  the  lan- 
guage of  the  Chaldeans,  and  to  be  put  through  a  course  of 
physical  and  intellectual  training.  It  was  usual  for  them  du- 
ring this  training  to  eat  of  the  meat  and  drink  of  the  wine 
brought  from  the  king's  table,  in  order  that  they  might  appear 
ruddy.  But  Daniel  wished  to  be  faithful  to  the  law  of  his  God 
and  the  teachings  of  his  fathers  in  regard  to  meats  and  drinks. 
He  would  not  defile  himself  by  indulging  appetite  at  the  ex- 
pense of  conscience.  Some  might  call  it  bigotry  and  making 
a  great  deal  of  little  things ;  but  such  people  are  in  great  dan- 
ger of  making  great  things  little.  When  people  get  into  the 
habit  of  sitting  in  judgment  upon  God's  commands,  and  reject 
one  because  it  is  little,  and  choose  another  because  it  is  great, 
they  will  soon  set  up  their  own  judgment  as  the  standard  of 
right  and  wrong  in  all  things.  "  He  that  trusteth  to  his  own 
heart  is  a  fool."  A  thus  saith  the  Lord,  is  to  be  our  rule  in 
everything. 

Daniel  obtained  leave  from  the  officer  who  had  charge  of 
their  education,  to  use  as  the  food  and  drink  for  himself  and 
companions,  only  pulse  and  water ;  and  so  well  did  they  thrive 
upon  this  that  their  appearance  indicated  better  health  and 
vigor  than  those  who  had  been  fed  from  the  king's  table. 
Hence,  when  brought  up  for  examination,  Daniel  and  his  thrcQ 
companions  were  chosen  to  the  high  post  of  waiting  upon  the 
king's  person. 

Thus  religion  is  profitable  for  both  worlds,  for  this  world  and 
for  the  world  to  come.  A  strict  compliance  with  the  injunc^ 
tions  of  the  Bible  is  as  good  for  the  health  of  the  body  as  for 
that  of  the  soul.  The  fruit  of  the  spirit  is  temperance,  as  well 
as  other  excellencies;  and  we  are  enjoined  not  to  defile  oui 
bodies,  from  the  high  and  solemn  consideration  that  they  are 
the  temples  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  We  see  in  this  young  man 
the  triumph  of  religious  principle  over  the  lusts  of  the  flesh, 
a  firm  regard  to  God's  will,  even  when  the  doing  of  that  will 
is  going  to  cost  some  sacrifice ;  and  all  this  gives  us  an  assur- 


252  THE    WORLD  S    HOPE. 

ance  that  his  future  life  will  be  marked  by  the  same  spirit  oV 
unflinching  trust  in  the  right.  Instead  cf  daring  to  stand  up 
for  God  and  right,  suppose  that  he  had  yielded  to  the  custom 
of  Babylon,  that  one  false  step  would  have  led  to  others ;  and 
having  begun  to  yield,  he  would  have  gone  on  till  his  pathway 
would  have  been  that  which  leads  to  hell. 

Those  who  honor  God  he  delights  to  honor.  The  spirit  of 
prophetic  power  came  upon  Daniel  about  this  time ;  so  that 
while  he  was  being  taught  of  men  the  duties  of  the  court  he 
was  taught  of  heaven  to  read  the  mysteries  of  the  future,  and 
to  draw  before  the  eyes  of  men  inspired  pictures  of  things  yet 
to  be.  God  imparted  to  him  such  a  spirit  of  wisdom  that 
when  brought  into  contrast  with  the  wisdom  of  earth,  was  as 
much  superior  as  the  sun  in  his  noon-day  glory  is  to  the  glim- 
mer of  a  rush-light.  That  Daniel  was  a  true  prophet  of  the 
Lord  is  evident  from  the  fact  that  Jesus  and  the  inspired  apos- 
tles, speak  of  him  as  such  ;  especially  Paul  refers  to  his  predic- 
tions. He  bears  a  clear  testimony  to  Christ  as  the  Messiah, 
the  great  work  that  he  should  do,  and  the  blessed  and  glorious 
kingdom  that  he  should  set  up. 

At  this  time  the  kingdom  of  Babylon  was  the  greatest  among 
the  nations  of  the  world.  All  others  had  to  acknowledge  its 
greatness,  and  some  of  them  had  to  bow  to  its  supremacy  and 
submit  to  be  its  slaves.  All  was  prosperous  so  far  as  external 
observation  could  discern,  when  a  strange  restlessness — a  fear- 
ful foreboding  of  coming  evil  began  to  oppress  the  spirit  of 
the  king,  Nebuchadnezzar.  Restlessly  he  tossed  upon  his  bed, 
unable  to  find  that  sleep  that  came  unsought  to  the  poorest  of 
his  subjects.  "  His  spirit  was  troubled,  and  his  sleep  brake 
from  him."  When  he  did  sleep  a  fearful  vision  of  the  night 
alarmed  him.  In  the  morning  the  dream  was  forgotten  in  its 
distinct  outlines,  though  the  horror  it  had  caused  still  weighed 
down  his  soul.  He  sends  for  his  astrologers  and  magicians,  a 
class  of  imposters  that  they  dignified  with  the  title  of  wise 
men,  and  with  promises  of  rich  presents,  commands  them  to 
tell  him  his  dream  and  its  interpretation.  And  to  show 
the  despotic  character  of  the  man,  if  they  failed  in  this,  their 


DANIEL,    THE    PROPHET    OF    THE    COURT.  283 

lives  were  to  be  forfeited.  Of  course,  the  wise  men  failed,  and 
the  tyrannical  king  was  furious,  and  commanded  them  to  be 
destroyed.  Daniel,  having  learned  these  particulars,  enters  the 
king's  presence  and  asks  for  time,  that  he  may  show  the  inter- 
pretation of  the  dream.  This  is  granted,  and  gathering  his 
three  companions,  they  pour  out  their  hearts  in  prayer  for  wis- 
dom to  be  given  from  on  high.  Nor  did  they  plead  in  vain. 
The  secret  is  revealed  to  this  young  servant  of  God,  and  he 
hastens  to  state  his  readiness  for  an  interview. 

The  time  has  come,  and  the  Jewish  exile  stands  before  the 
sovereign  of  a  great  empire ;  the  king  unhappy  in  the  midst  of 
his  riches  and  luxuries,  but  the  poor  captive  happy  in  his  God. 
He  is  at  great  pains  to  impress  upon  the  king  that  no  honor  is 
due  to  him,  but  all  the  glory  is  God's,  "  There  is  a  God  in 
heaven  that  revcaleth  secrets."  The  monarch  is  all  solemn 
attention,  for  part  by  part  the  vision  of  the  night  is  repro- 
duced, and  then  the  interpretation  is  given  with  all  faithful- 
ness and  fidelity.  We  can  not  go  into  the  whole  of  this  striking 
vision,  at  present ;  but  there  is  one  part  that  demands  atten- 
tion. It  is  the  stone  cut  out  of  the  mountain  without  hands, 
first  breaking  the  image  into  pieces,  and  then  increasing  until 
it  fills  the  whole  earth.  Daniel's  words  are  :  "  Forasmuch  as 
thou  sawest  this  stone,  the  great  God  hath  made  known  to  the 
king  what  shall  come  to  pass  hereafter ;  and  the  dream  is  cer- 
tain, and  the  interpretation  thereof  sure.  In  the  days  of  these 
kings  shall  the  God  of  heaven  set  up  a  kingdom  which  shall 
never  be  destroyed,  and  the  kingdom  shall  not  be  left  to  other 
people,  but  it  shall  break  in  pieces  and  consume  all  these  king- 
doms, and  it  shall  stand  forever." 

This  stone  is  no  doubt  the  kingdom  of  Christ,  hewn  out  of 
the  quarry  of  our  poor  sunken,  sinful  human  nature,  without 
hands,  that  is,  not  by  the  power  of  man,  but  by  the  power  of 
God.  This  kingdom  is  composed  of  holy  spiritual  subjects, 
who  take  Christ  as  their  king,  and  who  depend  upon  his  gra- 
cious promise  that  the  gates  of  hell  shall  not  prevail  against 
them.  The  kingdoms  of  this  w^orld  may  rise  and  fall,  and  the 
kings  that  reigned  over  them  may  strut  their  little  hour,  and, 


284  THE    world's    hope. 

puffed  up  with  a  lofty  conception  of  themselves  and  their 
power,  look  coldly,  it  may  be  contemptuously,  on  the  cause  of 
Christ ;  but  as  the  winds  of  the  coming  winter  sweep  the  dead 
leaves  before  them,  so  kingdoms  and  kings  that  once  filled  the 
earth  with  their  fame  have  been  swept  into  a  common  grave ; 
but  Christ's  kingdom  goes  on  conquering  and  to  conquer. 
Ridicule  and  contempt,  proscription  and  persecution,  the 
flashes  of  genius  and  the  ravings  of  vulgar  blasphemy,  have  all 
been  tried  against  this  kingdom  ;  but  it  not  only  stands  un- 
shaken, but  hastens  to  fill  the  whole  earth  with  its  glory. 

The  king  was  much  impressed  with  Daniel's  interpretation, 
recognizing  not  only  his  wisdom,  but  fell  down  before  the  Eter- 
nal God,  saying,  "  Of  a  truth,  your  God  is  a  God  of  Gods, 
and  a  Lord  of  kings,  and  a  revealer  of  secrets."  He  con- 
fered  many  honors  upon  Daniel,  and  made  him  ruler  of  the 
province  of  Babylon.  This  last  honor  he  asked  might  be  con- 
fered  upon  his  three  companions  instead  of  himself;  which 
was  done.  By  this  means  the  condition  of  the  Jewish  captives 
was  rendered  more  comfortable.  When  men  of  true  piety  are 
in  power  the  people  have  reason  to  rejoice ;  but  when  power 
and  wickedness  are  united  the  people  mourn.  Only  suppose 
that  Satan  had  unlimited  power  for  one  day,  and  what  a  hell 
our  world  would  become  ! 

To  trust  in  an  arm  of  flesh  is  sure  to  bring  disappointment ; 
and  if  history  has  taught  us  one  lesson  more  emphatically  than 
another,  it  is  the  unreliableness  of  the  favor  of  kings.  "  If  I 
had  served  my  God  as  faithfully  as  I  have  served  my  king," 
said  a  disappointed  statesman,  "  he  would  not  forsake  me  now." 
How  strange  that  men  will  put  confidence  in  the  word  of  their 
fellow  men,  and  yet  speak  as  if  the  faith  that  saves  the  soul, 
which  is  just  taking  God  at  his  word,  was  a  very  difficult 
thing.     This  is  beautifully  illustrated  in  the  following  : 

"  It  was  a  time  of  some  spiritual  awakening  in  a  small  man- 
ufacturing town.  The  foreman  in  a  department  of  one  of  the 
factories  became  anxious  about  his  soul.  He  was  directed  to 
Christ  as  the  sinner's  only  refuge  by  many,  and  by  his  own 
master  among  the  rest ;  but  it  seems  to  be  without  result.     At 


DANIEL,    THE    PROPHET    OF    THE    COURT-  285 

last  his  master  thought  of  reaching  his  mind  and  bringing  him 
to  see  the  sincerity  of  God  in  the  gospel  by  writing  a  note, 
asking  him  to  come  and  see  him  at  six  o'clock,  after  he  left 
*the  work.' 

"  He  came  promptly,  with  the  letter  in  his  hand.  When 
ushered  into  the  room  his  master  inquired,  *  Do  you  wish  to 
see  me,  James  ?' 

"James  was  confounded,  and  holding  up  the  note  requesting 
him  to  come,  said,  'The  letter  !   the  letter!' 

"'  Oh,'  said  his  master,  '  I  see  you  believed  that  I  wanted  to 
see  you.     When  I  sent  you  the  message  you  came  at  once.' 

"  '  Surely,  sir  !   surely  sir  !'  replied  James. 

" '  Well,  see,  here  is  another  letter  sending  for  you,  by  one 
equally  in  earnest,'  said  his  master,  holding  up  a  slip  of  paper 
with  some  texts  of  scripture  written  on  it. 

*  James  took  the  paper  and  began  to  read  slowly,  '  Come — 
unto — me — all — ye — that — labor,'  etc.  His  lips  quivered,  his 
eyes  filled  with  tears,  and,  like  to  choke  with  emotion,  he 
thrust  his  hand  into  his  jacket  pocket,  grasped  his  large  red 
handkerchief,  with  which  he  covered  his  face,  and  then  he 
stood  for  a  few  moments,  not  knowing  what  to  do.  At  length 
he  inquired : 

"  '  Am  I  just  to  believe  that  in  the  same  way  I  believe  your 
letter.?' 

"'Just  in  the  same  way,'  rejoined  the  master,  'If  we 
receive  the  witness   of   men   the  witness  of  God  is    greater.* 

"  This  expedient  was  owned  of  God  in  setting  James  at  liberty. 
He  was  a  happy  believer  that  very  night,  and  has  continued  to 
go  on  his  way  rejoicing  in  God  his  Savior,  to  point  others  to 
Calvary,  and  walk  in  the  narrow  way." 

A  few  years  had  passed,  during  which  time  the  arm^s  of 
Nebuchadnezzar  had  been  quite  successful.  This  so  filled  his 
heart  with  pride  that  he  forgot  all  his  fair  promises  to  Daniel, 
and  returned  to  idol  worship  with  increased  zeal  and  bigotry. 
He  took  the  spoils  that  he  had  obtained  in  his  wars  and  made 
a  golden  image,  setting  it  up  in  the  plain  of  Dura,  and  com- 
manding all  the  rulers  and  the  people  to  worship  it,  on  pain  of 


286  THE    world's    HOPE. 

death.  This  image  was  about  three-score  cubits,  that  is 
about  ninety  feet,  in  height ;  and  six  cubits,  or  about  nine  feet, 
in  breadth.  A  proclamation  was  issued  calling  upon  "  the 
princes,  the  governors  and  captains,  the  judges,  the  treasurers, 
the  counselors,  the  sheriffs,  and  all  the  rulers  of  the  provinces," 
not  only  to  attend  the  dedication  of  this  image,  but  at  the 
sound  of  the  musical  instruments  mentioned,  to  bow  down 
and  worship  it.  Should  any  refuse  to  do  this,  they  were  in 
the  same  hour  to  be  cast  into  the  midst  of  a  burning  fiery  fur- 
nace. 

The  appointed  day  has  come  and  the  great  assembly  is  con- 
vened, when  it  is  reported  to  the  king  that  the  three  Hebrews 
whom  he  had  appointed  over  the  province  of  Babylon  had 
refused  to  worship  his  image;  these  were  Daniel's  compan- 
ions, named  Shadrach,  Meshach  and  Abednego.  In  a  tower- 
ing rage  the  tyrant  calls  them  before  him,  repeats  his  decree, 
and  tells  them  the  punishment  that  must  follow  disobedience 
to  his  will.  They  answer  respectfully,  but  firmly,  "  Be  it 
known  unto  thee,  O  king,  that  we  will  not  serve  thy  gods,  nor 
worship  the  golden  image  which  thou  hast  set  up."  At  this  the 
king  commanded  the  furnace  to  be  heated  seven  times  more 
than  it  was  wont,  and  that  these  men,  with  their  clothes  upon 
them,  should  be  cast  into  the  flames. 

Now  comes  the  time  of  exciting  trial.  There  is  the  great 
king  surrounded  by  his  flatterers,  the  officers  of  his  govern- 
ment, and  his  victorious  army.  And  yet  his  power  is  defied 
by  these  three  children  of  God.  Religion  is  a  matter  purely 
between  God  and  the  conscience  of  man,  and  never  do  hu- 
man governments  make  themselves  more  contemptible  than 
when  they  undertake  to  dictate  what  man  shall  believe  and 
how  he  shall  worship.  It  is  a  good  man's  duty  to  obey  the 
laws  of  the  government  under  which  he  lives,  as  far  as  these 
laws  do  not  interfere  with  the  duty  he  owes  to  his  God ;  but 
the  moment  that  they  do  this,  he  is  bound  to  obey  God  rather 
than  man.  This  is  the  principle  upon  which  good  men  have 
acted  in  every  age  of  the  world.  Men  might  crush  their 
bodies  with  torture,  their  affections  with  imprisonment,  and 


DANIEL,    THE    PROPHET    OF    THE    COURT.  287 

their  good  name  with  infamous  charges,  but  they  could  not 
crush  out  of  them  the  determination  to  worship  God  accord- 
ing to  the  dictates  of  their  own  conscience,  enHghtened  by  the 
word  of  truth. 

The  furnace  is  flaming  at  its  highest  pitch,  and  mto  it  are 
cast  these  Hebrew  exiles.  So  furious  are  the  flames  that  the 
very  men  who  were  the  instruments  of  the  tyrant's  will,  in 
casting  them  into  the  furnace,  are  burned  to  death.  But,  see  ! 
astonishment  and  alarm  gather  upon  the  face  of  the  king. 
Gazing  into  the  furnace  for  some  time,  he  turns  to  his  attend- 
ants and  says,  "  Did  not  we  cast  three  men  bound  into  the 
midst  of  the  fire?"  "True,  O  king!"  was  the  reply.  He 
then  told  them  that  he  saw  four  men  walking  unhurt  in  the 
midst  of  the  fire,  and  that  one  of  them  is  like  the  Son  of  God. 
Yes,  blessed  Savior,  thou  hast  never  left  thy  dear  people  alone 
in  their  troubles  !  Prisons  and  dens  and  caves  of  the  earth 
have  been  illuminated  by  the  light  of  thy  countenance  ;  and 
thou  hast  made  sick  beds  and  beds  of  flame  easy  as  a  bed  of 
down  to  thy  dying  saints  and  martyrs. 

We  can  conceive  with  what  a  feeling  of  shame  and  remorse 
the  king  uttered  these  words  :  "  Ye  servants  of  the  Most  High 
God,  come  forth."  They  did  so,  showing  themselves  unhurt, 
before  the  whole  multitude,  not  even  the  smell  of  fire  upon 
their  garments.  This  miracle  must  have  produced  a  great 
change  in  public  opinion.  We  hear  no  more  of  the  great 
golden  image,  nor  the  universal  worship  wliich  it  was  to  receive. 
But  the  king  publishes  a  decree,  that  any  one  speaking  a  word 
against  the  God  of  these  three  men  should  be  cut  in  pieces, 
*'  Because  there  is  no  other  God  that  can  deliver  after  this 
sort." 

Now,  he  had  a  right  to  exalt  the  name  of  Jehovah  above 
idols,  and  to  do  all  he  could  to  glorify  his  name,  but  he  had  no 
right  to  use  his  power  to  compel  people  to,  think  as  he  did. 
He  had  no  mor€  right  to  kill  men  for  not  worshiping  the  God 
of  heaven  than  he  had  to  kill  them  for  not  worshiping  his  idol. 
How  hard  it  has  been,  in  every  age,  for  men  in  power  to  under- 
stand the  true  doctrine  of  religious  liberty.     Hence,  whenever 


288  THE    world's    HOPE. 

the  state  has  taken  even  true  religion  under  her  protection  and 
patronage,  a  spirit  of  intolerance  begins  to  show  itself,  very- 
injurious  to  the  cause  of  Christ.  Secular  governments  should 
not  interfere  in  religion  any  further  than  to  see  that  all  have 
the  liberty  to  worship  God  according  to  their  consciences. 

In  these  three  Hebrews  we  see  a  fine  example  of  true  decis- 
ion of  character.  Christian  decision  is  always  exercised  with 
a  special  reference  to  God's  holy  will.  Mere  natural  decision 
is  a  man  adhering  to  a  course  that  is  marked  out  by  his  own 
will.  Such  men  often  pursue  a  course  without  any  regard  to 
its  being  right  or  wrong,  but  only  because  they  have  resolved 
upon  it.  The  Christian  is  firm  and  resolved,  because  God  has 
spoken.  In  matters  of  small  moment,  where  God  has  given 
no  direct  intimation  of  his  will,  it  is  our  duty  to  yield.  In 
this  we  can  be  all  things  to  all  men,  like  Paul,  to  gain  men  into 
a  right  spirit  of  peace  and  love  ;  but  in  regard  to  things  im- 
portant in  religion,  and  all  is  important  that  God  has  com- 
manded, the  Christian  is  to  be  firm  and  unyielding. 

Christian  firmness  does  not  trouble  itself  much  about  con- 
sequences. It  does  not  ask  what  will  people  think  of  me  if  I 
do  this,  or  what  effect  will  it  have  upon  my  business  if  I  do 
that.  It  asks  only,  is  it  God's  will  ?  and  if  so,  it  must  be  done. 
This  gives  a  oneness  and  a  uniformity  to  the  good  man's  course. 
You  know  where  to  find  him.  He  is  not  one  thing  to-day  and 
another  to-morrow.  He  is  reliable,  for  he  acts  from  a  fixed 
and  unchangeable  rule;  that  is,  the  will  of  God  that  changes 
never. 

Nebuchadnezzar  had  another  dream,  which  filled  him  with 
terror.  The  vision  was  that  of  a  great  tree  growing  in  the 
midst  of  the  earth,  towering  up  to  the  heavens,  and  its  branches 
stretching  to  the  ends  of  the  earth.  In  it  the  fowls  of  the  air 
dwelt,  and  under  it  the  beasts  of  the  field  found  shelter.  But 
"a  watcher,  even  a  holy  one,"  approaches  the  tree,  and  in  a 
loud  voice  cries,  "  Hew  down  this  tree,  cut  ofi"  its  branches, 
shake  off  its  leaves  and  scatter  its  fruit ;  let  the  beasts  get  away 
from  under  it,  and  the  fowls  from  its  branches ;  only  leave  its 
stump  in  the  earth,  bound  about  with  iron  and  brass." 


DANIEL,    THE    PROPHET    OF    THE    COURT.  289 

Daniel  is  sent  for  to  interpret  as  before.  The  matter  filled 
him  with  astonishment,  and  "his  thoughts  troubled  him,"  we 
are  told.  He  faithfully  told  the  king  that  the  fall  of  this  great 
tree  was  emblematic  of  his  own  downfall.  That  by  insanity 
he  was  to  be  driven  from  the  abodes  of  men  and  made  to  herd 
with  the  beasts  of  the  field;  that  this  state  of  things  would 
continue  for  seven  years ;  and  he  urged  the  proud  monarch  to 
repentance,  and  to  turn  to  the  Lord  by  works  meet  for  re- 
pentance. But  worldly  prosperity  had  completely  hardened 
his  heart.     It  made  him  feel  independent  of  God. 

An  English  magazine  tells  us  that  the  butchers  of  London 
have  great  difficulty  in  driving  a  flock  of  sheep  through  the 
crowded  streets.  They  are  apt  to  get  scattered  in  all  direc- 
tions. To  avoid  this  they  take  a  sheep  that  has  been  petted 
till  it  loves  its  owner,  and  has  got  so  used  to  the  crowded  streets 
that  it  will  go  after  him  anywhere.  This  one  is  used  as  a 
decoy  to  a  whole  flock.  The  owner  puts  it  at  the  head  of  the 
flock  that  he  wants  to  take  to  the  slaughter-house,  and  they 
follow  it  to  their  destruction.  Thus  Satan  has  many  decoys  to 
lead  souls  to  hell,  and  one  of  the  most  common  and  successful 
of  these  is  the  love  of  the  world.  A  little  more,  and  then  they 
are  going  to  be  satisfied ;  but  the  satisfaction  never  comes ; 
instead  thereof  comes  an  awful  hardness  of  heart,  a  proud, 
dark  contempt  of  everything  sacred,  the  harbinger  of  eternal 
death. 

About  a  year  after  the  king  had  been  warned  by  the  vision 
and  by  Daniel,  he  was  walking  in  his  palace  and  thinking  of 
all  his  vast  power  and  the  greatness  of  his  kingdom,  when  he 
exclaimed,  "  Is  not  this  great  Babylon  that  I  have  builded,  by 
the  might  of  my  power,  and  for  the  honor  of  my  majesty.^" 
The  proud  boast  has  scarcely  left  his  lips  till  a  voice  from 
heaven  told  him  that  God's  predicted  time  of  judgment  had 
come,  and  in  a  moment  he  becomes  as  a  beast.  For  seven 
years  he  lives  in  this  degraded  condition,  when  his  reason  was 
again  restored  to  him,  and  looking  up  in  humility  to  the  great 
God  of  heaven,  and  acknowledging  his  hand  in  the  whole  mat- 
ter, he  was  again  restored  to  his  throne.     By  public  proclama- 


290  THE    WORLD  S    HOPE. 

tion  he  owned  his  guilt,  and  the  great  goodness  of  God  in  his 
restoration.  At  last  he  died,  and  his  grandson,  Belshazzar, 
ascended  the  throne  in  his  stead. 

The  terrible  judgments  that  were  sent  to  his  grandfather  had 
no  effect  upon  him  ;  for  he  entered  upon  a  career  of  idolatry, 
blasphemy  and  licentiousness  that  makes  us  truly  thankful  that 
his  reign  was  a  short  one.  He  had  been  defeated  in  battle  by 
Cyrus,  and  for  two  years  had  been  besieged  in  Babylon.  De- 
fended by  massive  walls  and  bulwarks,  by  gates  of  brass  and 
the  great  river  Euphrates,  and  having  provisions  enough  to  last 
for  twenty  years,  he  feared  neither  God  nor  man,  but  gave 
himself  up  to  the  gratification  of  his  lusts. 

One  night  be  made  a  feast,  conducted  with  all  the  oriental 
display  that  he  could  command.  He  gathered  around  his  fes- 
tal board  a  thousand  of  his  lords,  with  his  wives  and  concu- 
bines, and  the  grandees  of  his  great  empire.  All  that  could 
administer  to  the  lust  of  the  flesh  was  there.  The  wine  ex- 
cited them  to  madness,  and  a  roar  of  mirth  and  revelry  went 
forth  from  the  excited  throng.  The  king  ordered  the  vessels 
of  gold  and  silver,  which  his  grandfather  had  taken  from  God's 
house  at  Jerusalem,  to  be  brought  out  that  he  and  his  drunken 
crew  might  drink  out  of  them  to  the  honor  of  their  vile  gods. 
It  was  a  fearful  act  of  sacrilege,  for  these  vessels  had  been  con- 
secrated to  the  service  of  the  great  God,  and  had  often  been 
used  by  holy  men  in  his  worship ;  and  now  to  be  used  by  these 
wicked  wretches  in  their  abominable  orgies,  was  an  insult  to 
the  Most  High. 

But  see  !  All  at  once  the  king  turns  pale  and  trembles  in 
excessive  terror.  The  excited  laugh  of  the  drunkard  has  died 
away  upon  his  lips,  and  left  his  heart  quaking  under  a  horror, 
all  the  more  dreadful  that  it  is  undefined.  He  starts  from  his 
seat  and  fixes  his  eyes  in  a  wild  stare  upon  the  wall.  All  are 
now  filled  with  dread,  and  their  eyes  following  that  of  the  king 
see  the  hand  of  an  invisible  being  writing  some  mysterious 
words  upon  the  wall :  "  Mene,  mene,  Tekel,  Upharsin,'* 
were  the  words,  and  it  was  in  vain  that  the  magi  were  called, 
for  they  could  not  explain  them.     The  king's  consternation 


DANIEL,    THE    PROPHET    OF    THE    COURT.  29I 

increasing,  the  queen,  supposed  to  be  his  mother,  remembers 
Daniel,  and  urges  his  being  sent  for. 

We  can  imagine  the  holy  man  of  God  coming  into  that  hall 
and  looking  solemnly  around  on  the  wicked  throng.  The 
king  offers  him  rich  rewards,  but  he  is  there,  not  to  please 
kings  and  nobles,  not  to  be  bought,  but  to  speak  God's  truth. 
Accordingly,  with  a  quiet  dignity  he  says,  "  Let  thy  gifts  be  to 
thyself,  and  give  thy  rewards  to  another."  He  then  goes  on 
to  tell  the  king  what  God  had  done  for  Nebuchadnezzar,  from 
which  he  had  taken  no  warning ;  and  in  most  emphatic  terms 
to  rebuke  his  great  wickedness.  It  is  not  often  that  royal  ears 
listen  to  such  a  sermon.  He  then  interpreted  the  words  to 
mean,  that  his  kingdom  and  reign  was  at  an  end,  that  he  had 
been  weighed  in  the  batlance  and  found  wanting. 

That  very  night  the  city  was  taken.  Two  deserters  told 
Cyrus  how  it  might  be  taken ;  that  by  drying  up  the  waters  of 
the  Euphrates,  that  ran  beneath  the  powerful  walls  of  the  city, 
an  entrance  could  be  accomplished  and  the  city  secured  by  sur- 
prise.    This  was  done,  the  king  slain,  and  his  kingdom  divided. 

Darius  now  reigned  in  Babylon,  and  proceeded  to  make  new 
arrangements  in  regard  to  the  government.  Daniel  was  at 
once  exalted  to  a  position  of  great  honor  and  power.  This 
was  done  because  the  king  saw  that  "  an  excellent  spirit  was 
in  him."  But  this  very  eminence  to  which  he  was  lifted  up, 
made  him  an  object  of  envy  and  hatred  to  some.  The  more 
holy  and  upright  he  was,  the  more  such  vile  men  would  hate 
him.  They  were  maddened  with  rage  to  think  that  they  could 
not  find  something  on  which  to  found  a  complaint  against  him, 
to  the  king.  Unable  to  find  anything  against  him  in  regard  to 
his  moral  character,  or  the  discharge  of  his  civil  duties,  they 
turned  to  his  religion.  This  is  very  instructive.  After  watch- 
ing him  closely,  their  keen  espionage  being  sharpened  by 
intense  hatred,  they  could  not  find  a  single  act  or  word  or 
event  in  his  life,  that  could  be  charged  as  wrong.  The  only 
thing  that  they  could  charge  against  him  was  that  he  was  a 
praying  man — praying  three  times  a  day  to  the  God  of 
heaven ! 


292  THE    WORLD  S    HOPE. 

A  plan  for  Daniel's  destruction  is  now  formed.  A  concourse 
of  his  enemies  assemble  at  the  palace,  and  ask  the  king  to  pass 
a  decree  according  to  the  law  of  the  Medes  and  Persians. 

This  decree  was  to  be  to  the  effect,  that  for  thirty  days  no 
person  in  the  whole  realm  should  ask  anything  of  either  God 
or  man,  except  of  Darius,  the  king ;  and  any  violation  of  this 
absurd  decree  was  to  be  punished  by  the  offender  being  cast 
into  the  den  of  lions.  It  is  to  be  presumed  that  the  king  did 
not  for  a  moment  suppose  that  this  would,  in  any  way  affect 
Daniel  to  his  injury ;  and  as  it  was  flattering  to  his  pride,  it 
was  at  once  sent  forth  in  due  form.  We  sejgjhem  come  forth 
with  the  smirk  of  unholy  triumph  upon  their  faces.  They 
chuckle  among  themselves,  and  congratulate  each  other  upon 
their  success  in  having  the  man  they  hate  now  in  their  power. 
Ah !  little  did  these  wicked  presidents  and  princes  think  that 
at  that  very  time  they  were  digging  a  pit  for  their  own  de- 
struction. 

Daniel  hears  of  what  has  been  done,  but  heeds  it  not.  He 
goes  calmly  about  his  duties  as  before,  and  when  the  hour  for 
his  accustomed  devotion  arrives  he  goes  up  to  his  house  and 
prays  as  usual,  with  his  face  toward  Jerusalem.  He  knew  that 
his  enemies  were  watching  for  evil ;  but  along  with  that  as- 
surance was  another,  that  the  God  of  the  universe  was  watch- 
ing him  for  good.  It  may  be  thought  by  some  that  as  God 
can  hear  prayer  anywhere,  he  might  have  gone  into  a  secret 
place,  where  all  evidence  of  his  violation  of  the  decree  that 
had  been  passed  would  have  been  wanting ;  but  this  would 
have  been  acting  on  a  false  expediency.  No  kings,  nor 
princes,  nor  presidents  had  a  right  to  come  between  him  and 
his  God — to  dictate  when  he  should  or  should  not  pray;  and 
he  goes  on  as  if  no  such  dictation  had  been  attempted.  What 
a  noble,  God-like  character !  He  stands  up  before  us  a  bright 
example  for  all  ages,  of  a  bold  Christian  consistency ;  and  of 
what  it  is  to  trust  God,  when  every  other  trust  has  failed. 

"  So  should  we  live  that  every  hour 
May  die  as  dies  the  natural  flowe~ 
A  self-reviving  thing  of  power ; 


DANIEL,    THE    PROPHET    OF    THE    COURT.  293 

"  That  every  thought  and  every  deed 
May  hold  within  itself  the  seed 
Of  future  good  and  future  need." 

The  enemies  of  the  prophet  hastened  again  to  the  palace  to 
accuse  him  to  the  king.  He  had  prayed  to  the  God  of  heaven, 
they  said,  and  thus  set  at  defiance  the  monarch's  authority. 
The  king  now  all  at  once  began  to  see  the  snare  that  had  been 
set,  and,  greatly  vexed  with  Mmself,  he  tried  to  discover  some 
way  by  which  the  prophet  could  be  saved ;  but  by  the  inflexi- 
ble nature  of  the  law"  this  was  not  possible.  Daniel  is,  there- 
fore, cast  into  the  den  of  lions,  and  a  stone  is  placed  at  the 
mouth  of  the  den,  with  the  royal  seal  upon  it. 

There  he  remains  during  the  whole  night ;  in  all  likelihood 
the  happiest  night  of  his  life.  Oh,  what  thoughts  of  God's 
great  goodness  he  must  have  had  when  he  saw  those  wild  ani- 
mals crouching  at  his  feet !  That  heavenly  Friend,  who  had 
showered  down  blessings  all  along  his  pathway  through  life, 
had  now  given  such  manifest  tokens  of  his  love,  that  his  whole 
soul  must  have  overflowed  with  a  peace  that  could  make 
even  a  lion's  den  the  gate  of  heaven.  Not  only  had  he  the 
presence  of  God  during  that  memorable  night,  but  the  com- 
panionship of  holy  angels  also;  and  he  enjoyed  a  happiness 
to  which  the  greatest  and  richest  of  his  enemies  were  alto- 
gether strangers. 

The  king,  who  had  spent  a  restless  night,  hastens  to  the 
lion's  den  at  the  dawn  of  day,  and  cries,  "  Daniel,  O  Daniel, 
servant  of  the  living  God,  is  thy  God,  whom  thou  servest  con- 
tinually, able  to  deliver  thee  from  the  lions .?" 

The  voice  of  the  prophet  was  at  once  heard  in  reply,  "  O 
king,  live  forever !  My  God  hath  sent  his  angel,  and  hath  shut 
the  lions'  mouths,  that  they  have  not  hurt  me ;  forasmuch  as 
before  him  innocency  was  found  in  me ;  and  also  before  thee, 
O  king,  have  I  done  no  hurt."  The  king  was  rejoiced  ex- 
ceedingly that  the  incorruptible  statesman,  who  had  served 
him  so  well,  was  still  alive ;  and,  although  Daniel  had  pre- 
sented no  complaint  against  those  who  had  treated  him  so 
wickedly,  yet  the  same  destruction  which  they  had  prepared 


294  THE    WORLD  S    HOPE. 

for  him   came  upon   themselves,  they  were  devoured  by  the 
wild  beasts. 

Here  we  have  another  instance  of  the  power  of  the  prayer 
of  faith.  Such  prayer  is  always  answered;  while  that  prayer 
that  is  mingled  with  distrust  and  doubt,  receives  nothing.  Our 
blessed  Lord  sets  this  in  so  clear  a  light  that  his  words  should 
be  engraven  upon  our  hearts.  'AH  things  whatsoever  ye  shall 
ask  in  prayer  believing,  ye  shall  receive.  '  And  again,  "What 
things  soever  ye  desire,  when  ye  pray,  believe  that  ye  receive 
them,  and  ye  shall  have  them. '  These  passages  seem  very  plain ; 
and  yet  when  Mr  Miiller,  and  a  few  others  like  him,  act  as  if 
these  words  were  to  be  taken  as  literally  true,  the  Christian 
world  looks  astonished,  and  speaks  as  if  a  mistake  had  been 
made  in  some  way.  No.  there  is  no  mistake  in  taking  God  at 
his  word :  and  that  faith  that  does  so,  he  honors  now  as  much 
as  he  did  in  the  days  of  Daniel. 

Who  can  read  the  ninth  chapter  of  the  book  that  is  called 
by  this  prophet  s  name  without  seeing  that  he  was  a  man 
mighty  in  prayer  ?  We  find  that  he  had  given  himself  up  to 
study  the  prophecies  of  Jeremiah  in  regard  to  the  close  of 
the  captivity.  He  saw  that  that  time  was  at  hand,  and  by 
fastmg  and  deep  humiliation  before  God,  he  betakes  himself 
to  prayer  And  O,  such  a  prayer  !  We  seem  to  see  his  tears  of 
penitence,  and  to  hear  his  sighs  and  his  groans  poured  forth  from 
his  earnest  heart,  as  he  pleaded  for  himself  and  the  ancient  peo- 
ple of  the  Lord.  Such  confession  of  sin,  such  laying  open  of 
the  soul,  in  all  its  vileness,  before  the  eye  of  Infinite  pu  rity ; 
such  a  broken-hearted  melting  of  the  soul,  in  awe  before  the 
great  and  dreadful  God,  makes  us  ashamed  of  what  we  have 
called  our  prayers.  And  then,  such  terrible  earnestness,  such 
fervent  importunity  as  we  have  in  this  prayer  !  We  seem  to 
see  him  getting  nearer  God  every  cry  that  breaks  from  his 
agonizing  soul,  till  he  feels  that  he  has  prevailed.  "  O  Lord, 
hear ;  O  Lord,  forgive ;  O  Lord,  hearken  and  do  ;  defer  not,  for 
thy  ovv^n  sake.''  We  feel  that  this  is  not  mere  repeating  of 
words,  but  that  every  cry  of  the  soul  is  a  new  victory  of  faith. 
And,  sweeping  from  the  heavens,  comes  the  angel  Gabriel,  to  tell 
him  that  his  prayer  is  answered. 


DANIEL,  THE    PROPHET    OF    THE    COURT.  295 

Of  the  prophecies  of  this  man  "  greatly  beloved  oi  God," 
we  cannot  now  speak.  They  are  full  of  the  coming  Messiah, 
and  in  images  the  most  sublime  and  glorious,  tell  of  the  time 
when  his  kingdom  of  love  shall  triumph  over  all  opposition. 
Of  the  time  and  the  place  of  his  death  we  know  nothing.  He 
has  long  been  a  bright,  happy  spirit  in  glory ;  but  his  influence 
is  still  very  mighty  on  earth.  His  life  is  a  fit  study  for  young 
and  old.  A  noble  statesman,  an  invincible  patriot,  an  un- 
daunted hero,  a  mighty  prevailer  in  prayer,  a  prophet,  great 
in  the  sight  of  God  and  man;  we  feel  our  hearts  glow  at 
the  mention  of  his  name ;  and  it  adds  to  the  attractions  of 
heaven,  that  he  is  there,  and  that  ^"e  shall  join  him  in  praising 
God  and  the  Lamb  for  ever. 

*"  The  king  was  on  his  throne, 

The  satraps  thronged  the  hall ; 
A  thousand  bright  lamps  shone 

O'er  that  high  festival. 
A  thousand  cups  of  gold, 

In  Judah  deemed  divine— v 
Jehovah's  vessels  hold 

The  godless  heathen's  wine ! 

"  In  that  same  hour  and  hall, 

The  fingers  of  a  hand 
Came  forth  against  the  wall, 

And  wrote  as  if  on  sand: 
The  fingers  of  a  man — 

A  solitary  hand 
Along  the  letters  ran. 

And  traced  them  like  a  wand. 

"  The  monarch  saw,  and  shook. 
And  bade  no  more  rejoice  ; 
All  bloodless  waxed  his  look, 
And  tremulous  his  voice. 
*  Let  the  men  of  lore  appear, 
The  wisest  of  the  earth, 
And  expound  the  words  of  fear. 
That  mar  our  royal  mirth.' 


2^6  THE    world's    HOPE 

•'  Chaldea's  seers  are  good, 

But  here  they  have  no  skill ; 
And  the  unknown  letters  stood, 

Untold  and  awful  still. 
And  Babel's  men  of  age 

Are  wise  and  deep  in  lore ; 
But  now  they  were  not  sage, 

They  saw,  but  knew  no  more. 

**  A  captive  in  the  land, 

A  stranger  and  a  youth, 
He  heard  the  king's  command, 

He  saw  that  writing's  truth. 
The  lamps  around  were  bright. 

The  prophecy  in  view  ; 
He  read  it  on  that  night — 

The  morrow  proved  it  true, 

*'  Belshazzar's  grave  is  made, 

His  kingdom  passed  away, 
He  in  the  balance  weighed, 

Is  light  and  worthies:,  clay. 
The  shroud,  his  robe  of  state, 

His  canopy,  the  stone. 
The  Mede  is  at  his  gate  ! 

The  Persian  on  his  throne." 


It  has  thus  been  our  happy  privilege  to  go  over  the  most 
notable  examples  of  faith  recorded  in  the  old  Testament.  As 
these  noble  men,  of  whom  the  world  was  not  worthy,  have 
passed  in  review  before  us,  we  should  earnestly  seek  to  have 
like  precious  faith  with  theirs.  We  may  be  encompassed  with 
ten  thousand  trials ;  but  if,  like  them,  we  only  have  faith  and 
patience,  we  shall  be  brought  through  triumphantly.  We 
shall  meet  in  heaven  those  men  of  strong  faith,  and  join  with 
Item  in  singing  the  song  of  Moses  and  the  Lamb. 

"  E'en  now  by  faith  we  join  our  hands 
With  those  that  went  before, 
And  greet  the  blood-besprinkled  band 
On  the  eternal  shore," 


DANIEL,    THE    PROPHET    OF    THE    COURT.  297 

One  thing  we  can  not  but  have  noticed,  in  the  course  of  our 
meditations  upon  these  holy  men,  faith  enabled  them  to  see 
God  everywhere.  They  did  not  long  go  groping  around  the 
world  in  darkness  and  despondency,  crying,  "  O  that  I  knew 
where  I  might  find  him!"  Faith  found  him,  through  the 
blood  of  their  sacrifices,  pointing  to  Calvary,  and  knew  him 
to  be  a  God  of  Love.  To  such  faith  the  whole  world  was  full 
of  God.  As  they  walked  by  the  side  of  the  murmuring 
streams  and  sheltered  themselves  in  the  caves  of  the  moun- 
tains and  heard  the  rush  of  the  wind  through  the  swaying, 
bowing  pines,  they  heard  the  voice  of  Jehovah  speaking  to 
them  in  accents  of  love.  Amid  scenes  of  prosperity  and 
sweet  domestic  endearments,  they  found  their  highest  enjoy- 
ments in  God  ;  or,  when  exiles  from  home  and  country,  they 
wandered  in  dreary  deserts,  or  sat  on  the  banks  of  strange 
rivers,  with  songs  dying  away  into  sighs  and  groans ;  yet  God 
was  their  refuge  and  their  strength. 

Reader,  do  you  find  God  everywhere,  in  this  way  ?  In  the 
dark,  dense,  solemn  forest,  or  in  the  rush  of  the  city,  where 
the  sound  of  sin  and  suffering,  of  business  and  selfish  clamor, 
never  dies  by  night  nor  by  day;  can  you  be  still  and  know 
your  God  ?  Do  you  walk  with  God,  in  a  loving,  cheerful, 
willing  way,  as  the  loving  child  does  with  its  father,  feeling  its 
highest  joy  in  his  approving  smile  ?  If  so,  happy  are  ye,  for 
you  shall  soon  be  with  the  sinless  congregation  above,  and 
■your  faith  be  lost  in  the  fullness  of  glorified  vision. 

Paul,  in  speaking  of  the  good  who  have  gone  before  us  and 
set  us  an  example,  says,  "Be  not  slothful,  but  followers  of 
them  who,  through  faith  and  patience  inherit  the  promises." 
It  was  upon  these  promises  that  the  ancient  people  of  God 
lived.  They  are  the  pledges  which  Jehovah  gave  to  them, 
and  by  faith  in  which  they  were  sustained  all  through  the 
wilderness.  These  promises  are  God's  storehouse  opened  to 
his  people,  into  which  they  can  go,  and  get  all  their  wants  sup- 
plied. They  are  a  rich  treasury  of  blessings,  and  if  we  are 
poor,  we  may  be  enriched,  for  faith  holds  the  key. 

These  promises  arc  for  this  life  and  for  the  life  to  come. 


298  THE    WORLD  S    HOPE. 

To  the  guilty  they  offer  pardon ;  to  the  soul  struggling  with 
indwelling  guilt,  they  offer  the  cleansing  of  the  precious  blood 
of  Jesus;  to  the  weary  and  heavy-laden  they  offer  rest  in 
jgsus — the  sweet  repose  of  the  spirit  when  sins  are  all  forgiven ; 
to  the  sorrowful  they  offer  comfort,  not  such  as  the  world 
gives,  but  real  heart-ease,  when  the  head  is  resting  upon  the 
bosom  of  Jesus.  And  then  what  a  glorious  prospect  these 
promises  open  before  us  for  the  future !  A  victory  over  the 
last  enemy,  death ;  a  home  of  eternal  bliss,  with  all  the  com- 
pany of  the  redeemed ;  a  resurrection  of  the  flesh  from  the 
darkness  and  corruption  of  the  grave,  while  the  body  shall  be 
made  like  unto  Christ's  glorified  body ;  and  then  the  word 
of  approval,  spoken  before  assembled  worlds,  "Well  done, 
good  and  faithful  servant." 

Such  are  the  promises  that  the  heroes  of  faith  lived  by  and 
died  by.  As  an  old  writer  says,  "  They  are  high  as  heaven 
and  wide  as  the  sea."  They  take  all  in,  none  are  excluded. 
They  are  not  for  the  rich  only,  nor  for  the  poor  only,  but  they 
are  for  all.  And  oh,  how  sure  and  steadfast  they  are  1  Spoken 
by  the  God  of  truth.  Written  in  the  blood  of  the  covenant, 
sealed  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  they  are  all  yea  and  amen  to  the 
believer.  The  world's  promises  are  vain ;  Satan's  promises  are 
plausible  but  deceitful ;  but  God's  promises  are  sure  and 
steadfast.  No  contingency  can  occur  that  can  interrupt  the 
kindly  flow  of  his  loving  intentions.  His  promises  are  the 
voluntary,  spontaneous  outcoming  of  his  love ;  and  hence  they 
are  spoken  in  words  so  gentle  and  loving. 

No  wonder  that  they  are  called  "  precious  promises."  God 
has  scattered  precious  things  through  all  his  material  works. 
Far  away  down  ocean's  bed,  unseen  by  human  eye,  he  has 
treasured  up  precious  things ;  and  away  up  to  the  very  sum- 
mits of  the  cloud-topped  mountains,  they  are  to  be  found. 
But  it  is  in  God's  Word  that  the  most  precious  things  come  to 
view.  The  most  precious  things  of  earth  are  perishable,  but 
the  things  which  the  Bible  reveals  become  more  valuable 
through  all  eternity.  Precious  blood,  precious  faith,  precious 
promises,  and  precious  mansions,  are  among  the  fair  portions 
God  gives  his  people. 


DANIEL,    THE    PROPHET    OF    THE    COURT.  299 

Now,  those  good  men  of  whom  we  have  been  speaking  are 
inheriting  the  promises.  What  they  long  looked  for  they  now 
possess.  They  no  longer  look  through  a  glass  darkly,  but  see 
face  to  face.  The  things  that  they  longed  and  earnestly  looked 
for,  they  now  enjoy.  No  longer  tossed  upon  the  stormy  ocean 
of  life,  they  are  safe  in  the  quiet  harbor.  The  toils  of  the  wil- 
derness are  all  over,  and  they  rest  at  home.  Let  this  comfort 
us.  We  have  the  same  help  that  they  had — the  same  strength 
and  comfort.  They  met  death  in  all  forms,  but  they  feared  no 
evil.  That  last  enemy  was  turned  into  a  friend — into  great 
gain.  They  were  not  merely  calm  in  their  last  moments,  but 
cheerful;  not  only  resigned,  but  joyful  and  triumphant.  By 
faith  let  us  see  our  blessed  inheritance  awaiting  our  arrival; 
and  let  the  sight  quicken  our  pace  to  glory.  It  is  but  a  short 
atep  from  a  death-bed  to  a  throne  and  a  crown ! 


3QO  THE    WORLD  S    HOPE. 


CHAPTER  XX. 
STEPHEN,  THE  FIRST  CHRISTIAN  MARTYR. 

As  it  is  appointed  unto  all  to  die,  it  is  to  us  a  matter  of  great 
moment  to  know  how  we  may  die  well.  This  we  can  only 
learn  at  the  Cross ;  and  it  is  encouraging  and  strengthening  to 
our  faith  to  see  those  who  have  been  there  pass  away  from 
earth  peaceful  as  the  going  down  of  a  summer  sun. 

There  is  no  death  recorded  in  the  Bible  which,  for  moral 
sublimity,  comes  so  near  the  death  of  our  Lord  as  that  of  Ste- 
phen. Of  course,  there  is  no  death  really  like  that  of  Jesus. 
His  life  and  his  death  stand  alone ;  for  even  an  infidel  had  to 
say,  "  Socrates  died  like  a  philosopher,  but  Jesus  Christ  like 
a  God."  Only  a  short  time  after  Jesus  died  for  our  offenses, 
Stephen,  very  nearly  on  the  same  spot,  was  called  to  lay  down 
his  life  for  the  truth.  Both  in  his  life  and  with  his  lips  he  bore 
testimony  to  the  truth  and  then  sealed  it  with  his,  blood.  He 
was  the  first  of  the  Christian  Church  that  fell  under  the  bloody 
hand  of  persecution,  and  thus  had  the  honor  of  leading  the 
van  of  that  noble  army  who  are  now  crowned  with  immortal 
blessedness  in  heaven.  Striving  against  error  and  sin,  they 
resisted  unto  blood,  and  rose  unto  fame  eternal  by  suffering — 
conquered  by  dying. 

Stephen  was  one  of  the  first  seven  deacons  ordained  at  Je- 
rusalem. These  were  to  be  men  of  honest  report,  and  full  of 
the  Holy  Spirit ,  and  with  this  description  this  good  man  fully 
agreed.  At  that  time  the  church  was  in  a  most  prosperous 
condition.  With  a  zealous,  holy,  heaven-taught  ministry,  with 
a  membership  so  spiritual  and  consistent  that  Jesus  was  not 
ashamed  to  call  them  brethren,  and  with  a  constant  mcrease 
of  young  members  glowing  with  love  to  Christ,  the  whole  city 
was  shaken  by  their  moral  power.  Stephen  stood  in  the  front 
of  the  battle,  dealing  sturdy  and  vigorous  blows  to  Satan's 


STEPHEN,    THE    FIRST    CHRISTIAN    MARTYR.  301 

kingdom ;  and,  therefore,  he  soon  became  the  object  of  the 
most  rancorous  hate  and  persecution.  We  are  told  that  "  full 
of  faith  and  power,  he  did  great  wonders  and  miracles  among 
the  people."  The  enemies  of  God  and  of  truth  felt  that  this 
must  not  be  allowed,  and  that  something  must  be  done  to 
silence  so  able  and  zealous  a  preacher. 

They  sent  their  most  able  and  subtle  disputants  to  put  him 
down  by  argument.  This  was  just  what  he  wanted,  for  when 
did  truth  ever  fear  to  meet  error  in  fair  discussion  ?  Christi- 
anity invites  inquiry — courts  the  most  rigid  investigation  ;  and 
the  most  sifting  and  severe  tests  that  science  and  logic  can 
apply,  only  leave  her  friends  the  better  pleased  with  the  results, 
the  more  satisfied  with  the  heavenly  origin  of  that  religion  to 
which  they  have,  in  confidence  of  faith,  committed  their  souls. 
As  we  might  expect,  in  this  conflict  Stephen  came  off  triumph- 
ant. He  spoke  with  a  wisdom  and  a  power  that  astonished 
and  confounded  the  enemies  of  truth.  They  were  baffled  and 
defeated  at  every  attempt,  and  with  the  bright  sword  of  truth 
flashing  about  their  heads,  were  driven  from  the  field. 

Now,  had  they  been  honest  seekers  after  truth,  this  would 
have  been  the  end  of  the  matter ;  they  would  have  acknowl- 
edged their  error,  with  penitent  hearts,  and  at  once  yielded 
themselves  up  to  the  guidance  of  the  heavenly  light  that  had 
been  made  to  shine  around  them.  But  such  was  not  their 
character.  They  were  haters  of  God  and  of  good  men,  and 
if  the  progress  of  the  gospel  can  not  be  stopped  in  one  way 
they  will  try  another.  Accordingly  they  betake  themselves  to 
the  use  of  the  vilest  slanders  and  malicious  misrepresentations, 
the  chosen  supports  of  every  sinking  cause.  Vile  wretches 
were  hired  to  utter  false  accusations,  and  Stephen  was  dragged 
before  the  great  council  of  the  Sanhedrim  that  a  show  of  justice 
might  be  gone  through.  "  We  have  heard  him  speak  blas- 
phemous words  against  Moses  and  against  God,"  said  the 
false  witnesses.  In  a  court  of  justice  the  countenance  of  the 
accused  is  often  looked  upon  to  see  if  tokens  of  guilt  or  inno- 
cence can  be  distinguished  there.  At  that  moment  Stephen's 
face  would  bear  examination.      It  was  neither  inflamed  with 


302  THE    WORLD  S    HOPE. 

passion  nor  pale  with  fear.  There  dwelt  upon  it  a  look  of 
calm  faith  and  undisturbed  confidence  in  God ;  a  look  of 
meek,  forgiving  love  united  with  inflexible  firmness  of  purpose. 
It  shone  like  an  angel  of  God,  as  if  the  heaven  he  was  so  soon 
to  be  in,  had  sent  out  a  few  of  its  rays  of  glory  to  meet  him 
on  his  way.  The  emotions  of  his  happy  soul  illuminated  his 
face,  and  give  us  some  faint  idea  of  what  a  glorified  body  will 
be. 

When  this  good  man  stood  forth  in  his  own  vindication,  he 
appears  a  fine  example  of  a  faithful  gospel  minister.  He  is 
far  more  anxious  to  save  their  souls  than  to  vindicate  his  own 
character.  Some  of  those  present  might  never  hear  the  truth 
as  it  is  in  Jesus  again,  and  he  felt  that  he  must  speak  out,  even 
if  his  life  should  be  the  price  of  his  faithfulness  to  their  souls. 
Hence  those  strong,  powerful,  personal  appeals  to  their  hearts 
and  consciences.  There  are  some  ministers  who  may  be  said 
to  preach  the  truth,  but  it  is  in  a  very  general  way.  It  is  true 
as  far  as  it  goes,  but  it  has  no  application  to  the  people  sitting 
before  the  preacher.  It  is  preached  before  them  rather  than  to 
them.  There  is  nothing  of  "  thou  art  the  man  "  about  it, 
This  was  not  the  way  that  John  the  Baptist  preached  to  Herod, 
or  the  way  that  Stephen  preached  to  the  people  in  that  court 
house.  Such  preaching  as  his  will  produce  some  effect,  either 
in  the  way  of  softening  the  heart  or  of  hardening  it.  It  will 
prove  a  savor  of  life  unto  life,  or  of  death  unto  death.  It  will 
either  kindle  resentment  in  the  sinner's  heart  against  the 
preacher  who  rebuked  those  sins,  set  them  at  war  with  them- 
selves or  with   the  truth  that  smites  the  conscience. 

In  the  case  of  Stephen's  hearers,  they  were  filled  with  rage 
against  their  best  friend  because  he  told  them  the  truth.  As 
he  charged  them  with  resisting  the  Holy  Spirit,  as  murderers 
of  the  holy  Savior,  they  were  lashed  into  a  tempest  of  fierce 
passion  and  resentment.  With  glaring  eyes  "  they  gnashed 
upon  him  with  their  teeth,"  like  wild  beasts  of  prey.  From 
such  a  mob,  furious  with  diabolical  rage,  the  saint  of  God 
knew  that  he  had  nothing  good  to  expect.  With  such  he  could 
no  more  reason  than  with  a  whirlwind.     How  does  he  deport 


STEPHEff,    THE    FIRST    CHRISTIAN    MARTYR,  303 

himself?  Does  he  look  to  the  council  for  protection  and 
mercy?  Or  does  he  look  around  the  hall  to  find  some  mode 
of  escape  ?  No  ;  nothing  of  that  kind.  He  looked  steadfastly 
up  to  heaven  ;  and  from  that  look  he  gathered  new  vigor  and 
strength  for  the  great  conflict  in  which  he  was  engaged.  It 
made  him  long  to  spring  from  earth  into  the  bosom  of  his  lov- 
ing Savior.  There  is  often  embodied  in  a  single  look  a  world 
of  meaning  and  the  most  powerful  eloquence.  We  remember 
the  look  from  our  Lord's  loving  eye  that  sent  Peter  out  weep- 
ing bitterly,  his  heart  melted  into  contrition  under  a  convic- 
tion of  his  base  ingratitude.  The  look  of  Stephen  was  an 
appeal  to  his  adorable  Lord.  It  said,  "  here  I  am  doing  thy 
work,  suffering  for  thy  cause,  leave  me  not  to  my  own  strength, 
O  my  Lord,  or  I  will  fail !" 

What  a  glorious  sight  met  his  enraptured  gaze,  at  that  mo- 
ment !  No  wonder  that  it  fired  and  filled  his  soul  with  a  di- 
vine transport.  There  lay  revealed  to  his  view  the  throne  of 
Jehovah  encircled  with  unspeakable  glories ;  and  there  stood 
the  Savior,  bending  upon  him  a  look  of  deepest  affection 
and  of  sympathy.  Nor  could  he  keep  the  knowledge  of  this 
blessed  sight  locked  up  in  his  own  heart.  "Behold,"  said  he, 
"  I  see  the  heavens  opened,  and  the  Son  of  Man  standing  on 
the  right  hand  of  God."  Observe,  he  saw  him  sta^iding;  and 
yet  it  was  said,  "When  he  had  by  himself  purged  our  sins,  he 
sat  dow7i  on  the  right  hand  of  the  Majesty  on  high."  And 
again,  as  an  evidence  that  his  work  was  accepted  the  Father 
said  to  him,  "  Sit  on  my  right  hand,  till  I  make  thy  enemies 
thy  footstool."  But  when  Jesus  looked  down  and  saw  the 
dauntless  Stephen  defending  his  cause  single-handed,  in  the 
midst  of  bloody-minded  men,  he  stood  tip  to  receive  and  to 
welcome  the  soul  of  his  dear  suffering  child.  Like  Joseph 
with  his  brethren,  he  could  no  longer  refrain  himself.  Oh, 
who  can  tell  with  what  intense  interest  the  Prince  of  Martyrs 
stood  and  gazed  upon  him  who  was  proving  faithful  unto 
death  !  Well  might  the  martyr  "  rejoice  in  spirit  "  when  he 
saw  that  Almighty  gush  of  tenderness  towards  him.  There 
he  saw  a  Savior  who  more  than  died  a  thousand  deaths  for 


304 


THE    WORLD  S    HOPE. 


him,  and  whose  loving  heart,  longing  to  have  him  a  sharer  of 
his  glory,  parted  the  sky  asunder,  and  made  the  way  to  heaven 
ready,  ere  he  was  ready  to  enter. 

And  now  the  madness  of  the  mob  has  reached  its  height. 
Raging  and  roaring  like  the  waves  of  the  sea  lashed  by  a 
furious  tempest,  they  rushed  upon  Stephen.  With  faces  all 
distorted  by  passion,  they  drag  him  out  of  the  city,  that  they 
may  stone  him  to  death.  The  better  to  accomplish  this  bloody 
work  they  cast  off  their  upper  garments.  And  who  is  that 
young  man  that  we  see  standing  guard  over  that  pile  of  cloth- 
ing ?  He  is  not  a  direct  actor  in  the  murderous  work  of  the 
hour,  but  he  is  giving  his  consent  to  it,  and,  to  use  his  own 
words,  is  "  exceeding  mad  "  against  the  followers  of  the  Lord 
Jesus.  Had  any  one  stepped  up  to  him  as  he  stood  there,  and, 
tapping  him  upon  the  shoulder,  said,  "  Saul,  you  will  soon  be 
stoned  yourself  for  the  same  cause  for  which  that  holy  man  is 
now  laying  down  his  life,"  he  would  have  felt  indignant  at  the 
imputation.  But  God's  holy  eye  was  upon  him,  and  had 
chosen  him  to  be  a  most  distinguished  preacher  of  his  gospel, 
and  at  last  to  die  for  the  truths  he  preached  so  faithfully. 

But  let  us  not  lose  sight  of  the  blessed  martyr.  Hark  to 
those  savage  howls  of  these  wicked  men,  and  see  the  shower 
of  stones  that  thick  and  fast  fall  upon  him.  His  body  is 
bruised  and  bleeding,  and,  as  an  opening  is  for  a  moment 
made  in  the  crowd,  we  see  him  with  his  eyes  uplifted  to 
heaven  ;  and  hark  !  what  words  are  these  he  utters  ?  Ah  !  he 
is  praying  for  his  murderers !  What  great  things  grace  can 
do  for  our  fallen  humanity.  Man  by  nature  hates  his  enemies, 
and  seeks  to  return  blow  for  blow  and  curse  for  curse,  to  the 
very  last  hour  of  his  life.  But  Stephen's  words  are,  "  Lord, 
lay  not  this  sin  to  their  charge."  All  who  are  Christ's  own 
possess  his  spirit.  They  are  like  him  in  their  longings  and 
aspirations,  and  like  him  in  their  love  to  the  souls  of  the  vilest 
of  our  sin-cursed  race.  In  our  Lord's  dying  moments  he 
prayed,  "  Father,  forgive  them,  for  they  know  not  what  they 
do."  And  now  here  is  one  of  his  dear  servants  dying,  with 
the  same  spirit  of  forgiving  love  upon  his  lips,  and  only  there 
because  it  has  welled  up  from  his  heart. 


STEPHEN,    THE    FIRST    CHRISTIAN    MARTYR.  305 

But  the  dying  saint  uttered  another  prayer  on  this  memora- 
ble occasion.  Feeling  that  his  work  was  done,  and  his  per- 
manent home  very  near,  he  cried,  "  Lord  Jesus,  receive  my 
spirit."  This  is  a  plain  evidence  that  he  considered  Christ  a 
Divine  Being,  truly  God,  equal  with  the  Father.  We  are  told 
that  Stephen  was  a  good  man,  full  of  faith  and  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  and  yet,  if  the  Divinity  of  Christ  is  not  acknowledged, 
then  he  must  have  died  an  idolator.  No  truth  is  clearer  in 
the  Bible  than  that  worship  is  only  to  be  offered  to  God,  and 
here  this  devoted  and  highly  enlightened  Christian,  offers  hfs 
last  prayer  to  Jesus.  This  is  a  clear  proof  that  while  he  took 
upon  him  the  nature  of  man,  he  was  at  the  same  time  God 
over  all,  blessed  forever.  Stephen  paid  the  same  homage  to 
the  Redeemer,  in  his  last  moments,  which  Jesus  himself  did  to 
his  Father,  when  he  was  departing  from  earth.  And  this  fact 
reminds  us  of  the  words,  "  I  and  my  Father  are  one." 

The  expression  used  in  regard  to  the  death  of  this  good 
man  is  quite  beautiful:  "  He  fell  asleep."  He  was  dying  a 
very  painful  death,  his  body  bruised,  his  bones  broken,  his 
skull  fractured,  perhaps  his  face  fearfully  disfigured  and  cov- 
ered with  blood ;  and  yet,  when  the  soul  escaped  from  this 
tortured  body,  the  inspired  penman  said  it  was  like  going  to " 
sleep.  What  a  happy  thought !  Just  going  to  sleep  as  the 
weary  child  goes  to  sleep  upon  its  mother's  bosom  ;  or,  as  the 
laboring  man  goes  to  sleep  after  the  exhausting  toils  of  the 
day  and  forgets  them  all  in  peaceful  repose.  The  sleep  of  the 
pious,  with  God's  ever  wakeful  eye  keeping  watch  over  them, 
according  to  the  words,  "  He  giveth  his  beloved  sleep."  So 
the  dead  in  Christ,  as  far  as  their  bodies  are  concerned,  sleep 
under  the  watch-care  of  God,  and  at  the  fit  time  shall  wake  to 
immortal  beauty  and  glory. 

"Asleep  in  Jesus  !  blessed  sleep, 

From  which  none  ever  wakes  to  weep  — 

A  calm  and  undisturbed  repose, 

Unbroken  by  the  last  of  foes. 
'*  Asleep  in  Jesus  !  Ch,  for  me 

May  such  a  blissful  refuge  be  ; 

Securely  shall  my  ashes  lie, 

And  wait  the  summons  from  on  high." 


3o6  THE  world's  hope. 

The  thought  that  God  knows  the  time,  the  place,  and  the 
manner  of  his  death,  is  a  very  happy  one  to  the  believer  in 
Jesus.  None  of  these  things  are  to  happen  by  chance,  but  in 
accordance  with  a  plan  in  the  Divine  Mind.  Whether  we  are 
to  die  alone  in  the  silent  watches  of  the  night,  or  with  many 
loving  and  sympathizing  friends  around  us;  whether  our  death 
shall  be  sudden,  as  in  the  case  of  the  startling  accident,  that 
quick  as  the  flash  of  lightning  rends  the  body  to  pieces,  and 
lets  the  soul  escape ;  or  whether  with  slow  and  stealthy  foot- 
steps, the  work  of  years,  disease  shall  lay  us  among  the  dead ; 
all  is  known  to  and  planned  by  our  best  Friend  ;  one  who  loves 
us,  and  will  surely  do  us  no  harm.  Whether  our  body  is  to  lie 
in  the  crowded  city,  or  under  the  waving  grass  of  the  lonely 
country  graveyard,  or  in  that  grandest  of  cemeteries,  the  vast 
ocean,  with  the  furious  dash  of  the  mountain  waves  singing 
our  requiem ;  all  shall  be  well,  for  even  our  dust  shall  be 
precious  in  His    sight. 

Stephen's  death,  then,  was  a  very  happy  one,  notwithstand- 
ing the  violence  that  attended  it.  He  was  filled  with  the  Holy 
Spirit,  and  that  made  him  calm  and  self-possessed.  He  could 
look  an  awful  death  quietly  in  the  face.  His  soul  rested  at 
anchor  on  the  untroubled  sea  of  God's  promises.  He  was 
confident  of  victory.  His  blessed  Lord  still  lived,  and  that 
thought  made  him  sure  that  he  should  live  also.  He  would 
not  be  in  glory  and  leave  him  behind.  There  are  many  who 
think  that  to  be  filled  with  the  Spirit,  to  have  a  high  state  of 
religious  enjoyment,  and  to  be  fervent  in  spirit,  must  be  a 
state  of  high  wrought  excitement ;  but  I  do  not  think  so.  Look 
at  Stephen.  Calm,  cool,  deliberate,  bold  and  fearless;  not  at 
all  excited  though  he  knew  that  he  was  preaching  his  last  ser- 
mon. The  nature  of  true  religion  is  to  make  the  soul  calm 
and  sweetly  peaceful  even  when  the  pillars  of  the  earth  seem 
to  be  shaking.  It  was  Socrates  that  used  to  say,  "  Philoso- 
phers can  be  happy  without  music,"  and  so  Christians  can  be 
happy  when  the  world's  smiles  are  withdrawn;  when  it  frowns 
and  hates ;  yes,  even  when  its  curses  and  its  blows  fall  fast 
upon  their  heads. 


STEPHEN,    THE    FIRST    CHRISTIAN    MARTYR.  307 

Another  thing  worthy  of  notice  is,  though  Jesus  was  well 
pleased  with  his  servant  and  deeply  sympathized  with  him,  he 
did  not  prevent  the  stones  from  wounding  and  killing  him.  He 
had  power  to  do  so;  but  that  is  not  his  plan  under  this  dispen- 
sation.  He  does  not  promise  to  prevent  his  people  suffering, 
but  only  to  comfort  and  support  them  under  their  troubles, 
and  to  make  them  result  in  their  present  and  eternal  good. 
They  are  sustained  inwardly  with  a. joy  that  lifts  them  far 
above  the  world  and  all  its  sorrows.  That  city  did  not  that 
day  contain  so  happy  a  man,  as  he  who  was  dying  the  object 
of  the  popular  rage  and  hatred.  He  was  conquering  when  he 
fell ;  he  really  began  to  live  when  he  died;  and  the  last  stone 
that  did  its  bloody  work  and  ended  his  earthly  life  opened  the 
gates  of  glory  to  him. 

We  come  now  to  notice  the  estimation  in  which  Stephen  was 
held  by  good  men.  "  Devout  men  carried  Stephen  to  his 
burial,  and  made  great  lamentation  over  him."  It  is  when  we 
have  buried  our  friends  that  we  begin  to  feel  the  greatness  of 
the  loss  that  we  have  sustained.  While  the  body  is  yet  with 
us  and  we  can  go  to  the  room  where  it  lies  and  gaze  upon  the 
familiar  features,  it  is  hard  to  realize  that  the  dear  one  is  really 
gone.  There  is  the  constant  visits  of  dear  friends  with  their 
loving  attempts  to  divert  our  minds  from  the  great  sorrow,  and 
there  is  the  excitement  attending  the  preparation  for  the 
funeral.  But  when  we  have  taken  our  last  look  and  imprinted 
our  kiss  upon  the  brow  of  our  dead ;  when  the  cofiin  is  low- 
ered into  the  grave,  and  we  go  back  to  our  lonely  and  desolate 
home ;  when  the  vacant  chair,  the  empty  bed,  the  books  that 
the  loved  one  used  to  read,  and  many  little  things,  as  we  wan- 
der through  the  house,  tell  us  that  the  object  of  our  affection 
is  really  gone  to  return  no  more;  then  comes  upon  us  the  bitter- 
est hour  of  our  bereavement. 

To  the  mourners  the  home  seems  so  sad,  under  these 
circumstances,  that  they  go  often  to  the  grave  to  weep  there. 
But  that  is  a  poor  place  to  go  to  look  for  comfort.  It  tells  us 
that  we  live  in  a  sinful  world,  that  our  race  is  a  fallen  race. 
Yes,  the  first  grave  that  was  dug  in  our  world  was  sin's  monu* 


3o8  THE  world's  hore. 

ment ;  and  yet,  Jesus  brings  light  even  out  of  this  darkness,  for 
he  says,  "I  am  the  resurrection  and  the  life."  "I  will  ransom 
thee  from  the  power  of  the  grave." 

We  are  also  told  that  holy  and  devout  men  were  the  mourn- 
ers for  Stephen.  This  was  true  honor.  To  be  the  favorites 
of  vile  and  wicked  men,  to  have  our  names  honored  and 
applauded  by  the  children  of  the  wicked  one,  is  a  disgrace 
rather  than  an  honor.  Such  are  the  persons  who,  before  Pilate, 
voted  to  have  the  murderer  rather  than  the  blessed  Lord  Jesus 
given  to  them.  But  to  have  the  love  andprayers  and  good 
wishes  of  pious  people  when  we  live,  and  their  tears  when  we 
die,  is  a  high  honor  indeed.  The  good  opinion  of  such  is 
worth  something.  It  is  next  to  the  favor  of  their  Heavenly 
Master,  whose  sentence  of  approval  at  last  will  shut  all  scoff- 
ing mouths ;  for  "  who  can  lay  anything  to  the  charge  of  God's 
elect." 

These  Godly  men  made  great  lamentation  for  their  departed 
brother.  Their  burning  tears  fell  upon  his  grave,  when  they 
reflected  upon  his  noble,  unselfish  friendship.  They  did  not 
doubt  for  a  moment  that  to  him  death  was  a  great  gain,  but  to 
the  church  his  departure  was  a  great  loss.  They  could,  from 
their  whole  souls,  utter  the  prayer,  "  Help,  Lord,  for  the  Godly 
man  ceaseth."  Good  men  are  the  hope  of  the  world.  Let  all 
such  be  taken  away,  and  the  salt  being  taken  away,  the  world 
would  become  a  mass  of  moral  pollution.  Only  think  of  the 
whole  world  of  the  impenitent  being  alone  in  one  place,  with- 
out God,  without  churches,  without  a  prayer  being  offered,  as 
the  years  rolled  on !  Dr.  Macleod,  of  Scotland,  puts  this 
thought  in  a  striking  form  :  "  Let  the  fairest  star  be  selected, 
like  a  beautiful  island  in  the  vast  and  shoreless  sea  of  the 
azure  heavens,  as  the  future  home  of  the.  criminals  from  the 
earth,  and  let  them  possess  whatever  they  most  love,  and  all 
that  it  is  possible  for  God  to  bestow ;  let  them  be  endowed  with 
•undying  bodies,  and  with  minds  which  shall  forever  retain 
their  intellectual  powers ;  let  no  Savior  ever  press  his  claims 
upon  them,  no  God  reveal  himself  to  them,  no  Sabbath  ever 
dawn  upon  them,  no  saint  ever  live  among  them,  no  prayer 


STEPHEN,    THE    FIRST    CHRISTIAN    MARTYR.  309 

ever  be  heard  within  their  borders  ;  but  let  society  exist  there 
forever,  smitten  only  by  the  leprosy  of  hatred  to  God,  and  with 
utter  selfishness  as  its  all-prevailing  and  eternal  purpose — then, 
as  sure  as  the  law  of  righteousness  exists,  on  which  rests 
the  throne  of  God  and  the  government  of  the  universe,  a 
society  so  constituted  must  work  out  for  itself  a  hell  of  soli- 
tary and  bitter  suffering,  to  which  there  is  no  limit  except  the 
capacity  of  a  finite  nature  !  Alas  !  the  spirit  that  is  without 
love  to  its  God  or  to  its  neighbor,  is  already  possessed  by  a 
power  which  must  at  last  create  for  its  own  self-torment  a 
worm  that  will  never  die,  and  a  fire  that  can  never  more  be 
quenched." 

From  the  conduct  of  primitive  Christians  in  regard  to  the 
death  of  Stephen,  we  may  learn  that  it  is  not  wrong  to  mourn 
when  our  friends  are  taken  from  us.  We  see  this  also  in  the 
example  of  our  adorable  Lord  at  the  grave  of  his  personal 
friend:  "Jesus  wept."  It  is  wrong  to  murmur,  to  fret  and 
complain  against  the  providences  of  God.  Our  grief  must  run 
in  a  channel  which  submission  to  God  has  dug.  AVe  must 
reverently  adore  his  sovereignty,  and  be  still  and  know  that  he 
is  God.  And  all  this  may  be  consistent  w4th  the  keenest  sor- 
row. When  our  Father  takes  away  our  loved  ones  he  expects 
that  we  will  feel  the  bereavement.  If  we  did  not,  the  effective 
stroke  would  do  us  no  good,  Our  tears  are  a  testimony  borne 
to  the  value  of  tlie  gift  which  God  bestowed  upon  us,  and  of 
the  intense  longing  of  our  souls  to  meet  our  loved  ones  again 
in  heaven. 

It  should  be  our  aim  so  to  live  that  we  will  be  missed  and 
regretted  when  we  die.  There  are  some  who  so  live  that  their 
departure  from  earth  is  a  matter  of  joy,  rather  than  of  sorrow. 
Their  example  was  corrupting,  and  when  they  are  dead  we 
feel  as  if  a  plague  was  stayed.  When  death  came  they  were 
not  willing  to  go,  but  nearly  all  their  neighbors  were  willing. 
It  is  true  the  loss  of  their  souls  is  a  cause  of  great  mourning, 
but  as  all  hope  of  their  ever  being  better  had  died  out,  the 
longer  they  live  the  more  mischief  they  do  ;  and  so  when  their 
day  of  grace  ends,  God  takes  them  away  and  shuts  them  up 


3IO  THE    WORLD  S    HOPE. 

where  they  can  do  no  more  harm.  But  the  holy,  devoted, 
working  Christian  is  useful  here  while  he  lives,  and  when  he 
dies  he  is  only  promoted  to  higher  service  in  heaven.  Though 
never  weary  of  Christ's  work  here  he  is  often  weary  in 
it.  Bodily  infirmities  make  him  feel  so,  and  a  view  of  the  evils 
of  his  own  heart  makes  him  long  to  go  home.  He  often  says  : 
"Savior,  I  come  to  Thee, 

A  weary  child  with  pain  and  care  oppressed  j 

Ah,  let  me  lean  this  aching,  burning  heart 
Upon  Thy  loving  breast  f" 

There  are  some  important  lessons  that  we  may  learn  from 
the  narrative  we  have  been  considering. 

First,  let  ministers  learn  to  depend  more  on  the  influence  of 
the  Holy  Spirit.  Here  was  a  man  filled  with  that  mfluence,  and 
with  what  power  and  energy  he  spoke.  It  was  not  a  prepared 
sermon,  and  yet  how  fitly  adapted  to  the  circumstances  and  to 
the  hearers  is  every  word.  The  spirit  enabled  him  to  collect 
his  thoughts,  gave  vigor  to  his  memory  so  that  the  very  facts 
he  wished  to  use  all  came  to  his  mind  at  the  right  time  and 
made  his  words  flow  forth  with  burning  power.  Of  course,  a 
minister  should  study  faithfully  the  Word  of  God,,  and  do  all 
that  he  can  to  prepare  for  his  solemn  work  ;  but  if  all  that  he 
can  do  in  that  way  makes  him  feel  less  dependent  upon  the 
Holy  One,  his  preparation  will  be  a  curse  rather  than  a  bless- 
ing. If  our  dependence  is  on  our  manuscript,  or  upon  every 
word  being  committed  to  memory,  then  it  is  only  a  solemn 
mockery  for  us  to  pray  for  the  Holy  Spirit  to  help  us,  We 
should  study  with  all  the  power  that  God  has  given  us,  and  yet 
honor  the  spirit  by  constantly  watching  for  his  instruction  and 
guidance. 

I  was  greatly  interested  lately  in  reading  the  experience  of 
a  minister  in  regard  to  his  style  of  preaching.  He  had  in  the 
early  part  of  his  ministry  given  his  chief  attention  to  rhetori- 
cal and  poetical  forms  of  expression  in  the  preparation  of  his 
sermons.  His  vanity  was  well  pleased  when  he  heard  himself 
extolled  as  a  young  man  of  brilliant  talents,  and  saw  his  church 
crowded  with  that  class   of  novelty  seekers  who  are  ever  run- 


STEPHEN,    THE    FIRST    CHRISTIAN    MARTYR.  311 

ning  after  something  new.  But  no  souls  were  being  saved,  and 
believers  were  not  being  spiritually  fed  and  built  up  in  their 
holy  faith.  His  wife,  who  was  a  holy,  prayerful  woman,  and 
much  displeased  with  the  state  of  things  existing  in  the  church, 
said  to  him  one  day,  "  My  dear,  I  am  afraid  you  are  making 
more  admirers  of  yourself  than  followers  of  Jesus."  This  re- 
mark not  being  well  received,  she  took  the  matter  to  the  Lord 
in  earnest  prayer.     Let  the  result  be  told  in  his  own  words. 

"  It  pleased  the  Lord  to  hear  that  prayer  of  my  excellent 
wife.  One  Sunday  morning  I  preached  as  usual  to  a  crowded 
congregation,  chiefly  composed  of  the  principal  inhabitants  of 
the  neighborhood.  I  was  just  then  engaged  in  giving  my  au- 
dience a  picturesque  description  of  a  sunset  on  the  sea  of 
Galilee,  when  all  of  a  sudden,  owing  to  the  close  atmosphere,  a 
little  girl  fell  into  a  fainting  fit.  The  disturbance  which  it 
created,  though  only  short  and  comparatively  insignificant,  yet 
so  much  put  me  out  that  I  became  altogether  confused.  The 
rest  of  my  sermon  vanished  from  my  memory.  I  could  not 
possibly  recollect  one  word  of  it.  In  my  perplexity  I  cried  to 
God  for  help.  While  looking  down  on  my  Bible,  which  was 
lying  open  before  me,  my  eyes  fell  upon  the  text  of  Peter,  "All 
flesh  is  as  grass,  and  all  .the  glory  of  man  as  the  flower  of  grass. 
The  grass  withereth,  and  the  flower  thereof  falleth  away,  but 
the  word  of  the  Lord  endureth  forever."  Yielding,  as  it  were, 
to  an  instinctive  impulse,  I  read  it  to  my  hearers  and  began 
preaching  from  it  an  improvised  sermon,  just  as  it  came  up  in 
my  heart.  And  here,  having  lost  my  oratorical  flower-basket, 
I  could  not  help  laying  bare  the  truths  of  God's  Word  in  all 
their  simplicity  and  startling  reality.  Connecting  the  text 
with  my  previous  description,  I  called  the  glory  of  man  a  set- 
ting sun,  but  which  was  never  to  rise  again.  I  spoke  of  the 
utter  vanity  of  everything  human,  of  the  certainty  of  the  de- 
struction of  this  world  and  of  our  everlasting  condemnation  if 
we  were  to  die  in  the  midst  of  our  sins.  In  a  word,  I  '  shunned 
not  to  declare  to  them  all  the  counsel  of  God,'  proclaiming 
death  and  destruction  as  it  is  in  Adam,  and  life  and  salvation 
as  it  is  in  Jesus. 


312  THE    WORLDS    HOPE. 

"  On  walking  home  after  service,  my  wife  almost  wept  for 
joy.  Never  in  her  life,  she  said,  had  she  heard  such  a  heart- 
searching  sermon.  But  I  was  almost  in  a  desponding  mood 
and  quite  ashamed  of  myself,  '  for  the  people  must  have  noticed 
my  confusion',  I  said  :  '  and  what  a  gossip  it  will  be  all  over 
the  place  that  the  minister  broke  down  in  the  middle  of  his 
sermon!'  'Surely,'  I  added,  '  this  was  the  worst  sermon  ever 
preached  from  a  pulpit.' 

"  We  had  scarcely  got  home,  however,  when  a  lady  desired 
to  speak  to  me.  The  impression  which  her  appearance  made 
upon  me  was  not  very  agreeable.  She  was  gaudily  dressed 
and  carried  a  flourish  of  trinkets,  lace  and  finery  about  her 
which  created  a  most  unfavorable  impression. 

"'  Sir,'  she  said,  while  her  lip  quivered,  'could  you  permit 
me  to  speak  to  you  in  confidence.'*'     '  Certainly,  ma'am.' 

" '  I  am  a  lost  woman,'  she  said,  while  tears  burst  from  her 
eyes ;  '  but  you,  sir,  can  perhaps  tell  me  whether  there  is  still 
salvation  for  me  who  have  so  long  lived  a  careless  life.'  " 

She  then  briefly  told  him  her  history.  She  had  lived  a  gay, 
careless,  pleasure-seeking  life,  without  God  in  the  world.  That 
day  she  had  gone  to  church,  and  his  sermon  had  proved  a  two- 
edged  sword  to  her  soul,  and  now  she  entreated  him  to  tell 
her  of  that  Savior  of  whom  he  had  spoken  at  the  close  of  his 
sermon.  He  did  so,  and  she  received  Christ  by  faith  into  her 
soul,  and  became  a  most  consistent  Christian. 

In  closing  the  account  the  minister  says,  "  The  Lord  taught 
me  this  great  lesson,  which  I  hope  I  have  not  forgotten 
since — viz. :  that  oratory,  rhetoric,  etc.,  maybe  excellent  things 
in  a  pulpit,  but  that  without  the  eloquence  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
which  tells  us  of  the  love  of  him  who  died  for  our  sins,  they 
will  never  lead  a  lost  sinner  to  the  fold  of  the  only  Good  Shep- 
herd." 

In  the  case  of  Stephen  we  see  how  a  Christian  can  die. 
There  was  not  only  the  absence  of  all  fear,  but  the  presence  of 
great  joy.  The  very  worst  that  his  enemies  could  do  was  to 
hasten  him  home.  No  shade  of  anger  is  on  his  brow,  no  feel- 
ing of  revenge  in  hii  heart.     On  the  contrary  he  loves  them, 


STEPHEN,    THE    FIRST    CHRISTIAN    MARTYR.  313 

he  longs  for  their  salvation,  and  spends  his  last  failing  breath 
in  pra3^er  for  them.  Ah  !  what  an  empty,  vain  thing  is  infidel- 
ity compared  to  such  a  religion  as  this.  It  can  only  fill  the 
mind  with  dark  negatives  while  the  man  lives,  and  curtain  his 
death-bed  round  with  guilty  horrors  and  with  dark  despair 

'■Deathless  principle,  arise  ' 
Soar,  thou  native  of  the  skies  ! 
Pearl  of  price,  by  Jesus  bought, 
To  his  glorious  likeness  wrought, 
Go,  to  shine  before  his  throne — 
Deck  his  mediatorial  crown  ; 
Go,  his  triumphs  to  adorn — 
Born  for  God,  to  God  return. 

"  Lo,  he  beckons  from  on  high  i 
Fearless  to  his  presence  fly  ; 
Thine  the  merit  of  his  blood, 
Thine  the  righteousness  of  God  ; 
Angels,  joyful  to  attend, 
Hovering  round  thy  pillow  bend  ; 
Wait  to  catch  the  signal  given, 
And  escort  thee  quick  to  heaven  !" 


214  THE  world's  hope. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 
PETER,  THE  APOSTLE. 

Peter,  the  apostle  of  our  Lord  Jesus,  was  a  native  of  Galilee. 
To  be  an  apostle  was  to  occupy  a  very  high  and  honorable 
position  in  the  church  of  God,  and  one  full  of  solemn  respon- 
sibilities. Those  who  occupied  this  high  and  holy  office  were 
the  heaven-appointed  teachers  and  legislators  in  Christ's 
church.  They  were  inspired  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  so  that  their 
word  was  law  in  the  new  kingdom  of  love.  To  reject  their 
word  was  to  reject  the  v/ord  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  To  them 
was  imparted  the  gift  of  working  miracles,  and  of  imparting 
supernatural  powers  to  other  members  of  the  church.  They 
were  placed  in  a  loftier  position  than  the  prophets  of  the  old 
dispensation,  inasfar  as  they  had  to  be  witnesses  and  repre- 
sentatives of  a  purely  spiritual  kingdom. 

Peter  was  brought  to  Jesus  in  the  first  place  by  his  brother 
Andrew.  That  brother  and  a  companion  of  his,  walking  togeth- 
er, heard  John  the  Baptist  bear  witness  to  the  character  of 
Jesus  in  the  impressive  words,  "Behold  the  Lamb  of  God!" 
This  so  impressed  the  mind  of  Andrew  that  he  hastened  to 
communicate  the  good  news  to  his  brother  Simon,  and  at  once 
introduced  him  to  the  Lord.  What  a  loving  and  brotherly  act 
was  this ;  and  what  a  turning  point  in  the  life  of  Peter  was 
this !  The  greatest  act  of  kindness  we  can  perform  for  our 
kindred,  the  best  proof  of  love  that  we  can  give,  is  to  seek  the 
salvation  of  their  souls.  We  may  exert  ourselves  to  bring 
them  to  occupy  positions  of  worldly  distinction  and  honor; 
to  walk  upon  the  eminences  of  life,  the  objects  of  the  world's 
applause ;  but  if  we  fail  to  bring  them  to  Jesus,  who  alone  can 
save  their  souls,  what  will  it  all  avail  .^  If  parents  only  put 
forth  one  half  the  effort  for  their  children's  souls,  that  they  do 


PETER,    THE    APOSTLE.  -^I^ 

to  be  able  to  leave  them  an  earthly  inheritance,  how  numerous 
would  be  the  conversion  of  souls  among  the  young  ;  and  fami- 
lies would  become  nurseries  for  heaven. 

Peter  was  a  man  of  a  naturally  warm  and  ardent  tempera- 
ment. Everything  that  he  did  was  apt  to  be  done  under 
strange  impulses  of  feeling.  He  had  an  earnest  impetuosity 
of  character  that  made  him  frank  and  fearless  in  acting  and 
speaking ;  but  which  often  led  him  into  unexpected  difficul- 
ties. Of  an  affectionate  heart,  a  hasty  temper,  a  glowing 
imagination,  he  was  deficient  in  that  calmness  of  judgment 
that  leads  men  to  think  and  deliberate  before  they  act.  Such 
men  are  apt  to  call  caution  coldness,  and  anything  short  of  a 
fiery  enthusiam  they  are  ready  to  denounce  as  indifference. 
In  the  deep  earnestness  of  his  warm  heart  he  was  ready  to 
promise  much  and  to  undertake  much  in  the  service  of  those 
he  loved ;  but  there  was  a  m^oral  weakness  in  his  character,  a 
readiness  to  yield  to  present  impulse,  and  to  the  influence  of 
the  company  in  which  he  happened  to  be,  that  made  his  prom- 
ise unreliable.  Not  that  he  could  ever  be  accused  of  insincerity, 
for  his  whole  soul  was  in  whatever  he  undertook ;  but  lie  was 
apt  to  act  under  the  power  of  his  feelings,  and  unexpected  events 
springing  up  would  turn  him  in  a  new  direction.  Of  course, 
I  am  only  speaking  of  the  traits  of  character  that  were  natu- 
ral to  Peter ;  what  grace  made  him  and  what  he  became  under 
the  teachings  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  we  shall  see  in  the  progress  of 
this  chapter. 

When  Peter  was  introduced  to  Jesus,  as  we  might  expect,  he 
was  received  with  great  kindness.  It  was  on  that  occasion 
that  he  gave  him  a  new  name,  being  about  to  take  him  into  his 
service ;  a  name  expressive  of  great  firmness.  "  Thou  art 
Simon,  the  son  of  Jona ;  thou  shalt  be  called  Cephas,  which 
is,  by  interpretation,  a  stone  or  rock."  Hence  the  name  Peter 
is  given,  which  signifies  the  same  as  Cephas.  On  one  occasion 
our  Lord  asked  his  disciples  what  the  people  thought  of  him ; 
when  Peter  replied,  giving  the  different  opinions  expressed. 
Then  he  was  asked  by  our  Lord,  "Whom  say  ye  that  I  am  ?" 
Promptly  the  answer  came,    "  Thou  art  the   Christ,  the  Son  of 


3i6  THE  world's  hope. 

the  living  God."  Matthew  tells  us  that  when  Peter  had  made 
this  noble  confession,  Jesus  said  unto  him,  "  Blessed  art  thou, 
Simon  Bar-Jona,  for  flesh  and  blood  hath  not  revealed  it  unto 
thee,  but  my  Father  who  is  in  heaven.  And  I  say  also  unto 
thee,  that  thou  art  Peter,  and  upon  this  rock  I  will  build  my 
church,  and  the  gates  of  hell  shall  not  prevail  against  it."  It 
is  evident  from  these  words,  that  this  confession  was  not  a 
mere  intellectual  matter,  but  the  avowal  of  a  heart  touched  by 
the  Holy  Spirit.  A  bright  ray  of  light  from  heaven  had 
flashed  upon  his  soul,  and  kindled  up  a  flame  of  Divine  love 
in  his  heart.  We  can  imagine  that  we  see  his  weather-beaten 
face  kindle  up  with  rapture  as  he  uttered  the  words.  From 
that  moment  he  knew  Jesus  in  his  true  character  as  the  true 
Messiah,  and  could  say,  "  To  whom  can  we  go  but  unto  Thee  ? 
Thou  hast  the  words  of  eternal  life." 

From  the  time  this  apostle  entered  our  Lord's  service,  he 
manifested  great  zeal  and  activity ;  he  was  always  prominent 
in  speech  and  action ;  and  yet  we  can  see  in  the  inspired  his- 
tory no  evidence  of  that  supremacy  over  the  other  apostles 
which  has  been  claimed  for  him  by  the  Romanists.  Such 
superiority  was  never  given  him  by  our  blessed  Lord,  was 
never  claimed  by  himself,  and  was  never  recognized  by  his 
brethren.  So  that  the  arrogant  claims  of  those  who  call  them- 
selves his  successors,  have  no  foundation  in  the  Bible.  Christ's 
church  is  not  built  upon  any  mere  man,  however  holy  and  great 
he  may  be;  but  is  built  upon  those  sublime  doctrines  of 
Christ  which  Peter  so  boldly  confessed  under  the  influence  of 
heavenly  teaching.  No  doubt  great  and  miraculous  powers 
and  gifts  were  given  to  this  apostle,  but  they  were  given  in 
common  with  his  brethren  of  the  apostolic  office,  and  not  to 
make  him  a  lord  over  God's  heritage. 

Indeed,  this  kind  of  exalting  one  above  another  is  utterly 
inconsistent  with  our  Lord's  aim  in  all  his  teaching,  which  was 
to  produce  humility  of  heart.  "  Learn  of  me,  for  I  am  lowly 
inspirit."  "Blessed  are  the  poor  in  spirit."  "  One  is  your 
Master,  and  all  ye  are  brethren."  And  the  more  of  the  spirit 
of  Christ  any  one  attains  to  the  more  humble  he  becomes.    It 


PETER,    THE    APOSTLE.  317 

was  when  Job  had  a  very  near  view  of  God,  that  he  ceased  to 
vindicate  himself,  and  said,  "  I  abhor  myself,  and  repent  in 
dust  and  ashes."  Perhaps  there  did  not  live  a  more  holy  man 
in  his  day  than  Isaiah,  the  evangelical  prophet ;  and  yet  in 
God's  sight  he  felt  himself  so  vile  that  he  cried  out,  "  I  am  a 
man  of  unclean  lips."  Paul  calls  himself  "  the  chief  of  sinners," 
and  "the  least  of  sinners;"  while  he  was  so  near  God  that 
sometimes  he  seemed  like  one  already  in  heaven.  Yes,  in 
Christ's  Kingdom  of  love  there  is  no  exalting  of  one  child  of 
God  above  another,  for  through  the  precious  blood  of  Jesus 
they  are  all  heirs  of  God,  all  kings  and  priests  unto  God ;  and 
he  who  would  be  the  greatest  among  them  is  to  be  the  servant 
of  all.     The  most  humbled  is  to  be  the  most  exalted. 

*'  The  bird  that  soars  on  highest  wing, 

Builds  on  the  ground  her  lowly  nest ; 
And  she  that  doth  most  sweetly  sing, 

Sings  in  the  shade  when  all  things  rest ; 
In  lark  and  nightingale  we  see 
What  honor  hath  humility. 

"The  saint  that  wears  heaven's  brightest  crown. 
In  lowliest  adoration  bends  ; 
The  weight  of  glory  bows  him  down 

The  most  when  his  soul  ascends  ; 
Nearest  the  throne  itself  must  be 
The  footsteps  of  humility." 

We  come  now  to  consider  Peter  in  some  of  the  phases  of 
his  spiritual  life.  And  first,  let  us  turn  to  the  circumstance 
related  in  the  fourteenth  chapter  of  Matthew.  It  was  the 
dark  midnight  hour  on  the  Lake  of  Tiberias,  and  a  fearful 
storm  is  raging.  A  ship  is  out  in  the  tempest,  and  the  furious 
winds  and  dashing  waves  threaten  her  with  instant  destruc- 
tion. That  little  vessel  contains  a  precious  band  of  passen- 
gers; men  who  are  to  be  an  unspeakable  blessing  to  the 
world.  The  chosen  apostles  of  the  Lord  Jesus  are  there ;  but 
their  Divine  Master  is  not  with  them,  and  they  are  greatly 
alarmed  for  their  safety.  The  Lord  has  been  up  on  the 
mountains  engaged  in  prayer.     Behind  the  shelter  of  some  old 


3i8  THE  world's  hope. 

gray  rock,  he  has  been  pouring  out  his  supplication ;  and  oh, 
had  we  been  there  to  listen,  how  formal  would  all  our  prayers 
have  seemed  compared  with  his !  But  he  has  not  forgotten 
that  ship  struggling  with  the  stormy  elements.  His  watchful 
eye  has  been  upon  his  loved  disciples  all  the  time,  and  at  the 
right  time  he  will  appear  for  their  deliverance. 

Down  he  comes  to  the  edge  of  the  turbulent  waters.  He 
puts  his  foot  upon  a  foam-crested  wave,  and  from  wave  to 
wave  walks  as  securely  as  upon  dry  land.  Here  we  see  the 
Divinity  and  humanity  of  our  Lord  acting  in  close  contact. 
Up  among  those  rocks  on  the  mountain,  we  see  his  humanity, 
for  it  was  as  a  man  he  prayed,  often  with  strong  cries  and 
tears;  but  now  that  he  walks  upon  the  stormy  water  we  see 
him  as  God.  Seeing  that  majestic  form  approaching  the  ship, 
the  disciples  were  afraid.  But  with  gentle  kindness  he  reas- 
sures them  by  the  words,  "  Be  of  good  cheer ;  it  is  I ;  be  not 
afraid."  Then  Peter  said,  "  Lord,  if  it  be  thou,  bid  me  come 
unto  thee  on  the  water."  The  Lord  gave  him  the  inviting 
word,  and  at  once  he  goes  forth  to  meet  his  Master.  At  first 
all  goes  well.  His  faith  was  strong,  his  eye  was  fixed  upon 
Jesus,  and  he  feared  nothing.  But,  see !  all  at  once  his  face 
shows  fear,  almost  despair,  and  he  begins  to  sink.  What  is  the 
cause  ?  Has  any  new  danger  arisen  }  We  are  told  that  "when  he 
saw  the  wind  boisterous,  he  was  afraid."  But  it  was  so  before  he 
started.  No  change  had  taken  place  in  Jesus,  none  in  the  storm, 
none  in  the  ship,  nor  in  his  fellow-disciples  ;  but  the  change  was 
in  himself.  Instead  of  looking  at  his  Lord,  and  thinking  of  his 
power  and  of  his  invitation,  he  began  to  think  of  his  danger, 
at  the  greatness  of  the  waves  and  the  fierce  power  with  which 
they  were  driven  by  the  winds.  Then  his  faith  gave  way  and 
he  began  to  sink.  Still  he  has  faith  to  believe  that  Jesus  can 
save  him,  and  cries,  "Lord  save;  I  perish!"  A  short,  but 
very  comprehensive  prayer ;  and  a  successful  one ;  for  that 
hand  which  planted  the  stars  in  their  places,  lifts  him  up  from 
impending  ruin. 

We  see  here  a  striking  illustration  of  the  blending  of  faith 
and  unbelief,  which  is  often  seen  in  good  people.     If  it  be  the 


PETFr,    THE     APOSTLE.  319 

Lord,  he  seemed  to  say,  I  will  fear  nothing ;  the  howling 
winds  and  the  raging  waves  will  not  alarm,  if  I  am  only  as- 
sured that  blessed  Master  is  here.  But  his  Lord  had  be- 
fore this  told  him  that  it  was  he  himself  that  was  walking  on 
the  water;  and  yet  he  says  "Lord,  if  it  be  thou."  Now, 
what  right  had  he  to  put  in  that  if  1  He  had  the  Lord's  own 
word  for  it,  and  that  is  the  very  highest  evidence  we  can  have. 
But,  like  many,  he  wanted  something  more.  He  wished  some 
other  token  or  sign  to  supplement  the  plain  word  of  Him  who 
cannot  lie.  God  says  to  the  sinner,  "  Believe  on  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  and  thou  shalt  be  saved,"  and  "  Whosoever  be- 
lieveth  in  him  shall  not  perish,  but  have  eternal  life."  But, 
instead  of  simply  believing  this,  and  at  once  being  at  peace, 
he  looks  for  something  more ;  some  inward  sign,  some  light 
from  heaven,  some  sudden  impression,  almost  like  an  audible 
voice,  to  tell  him  that  his  sins  are  forgiven  him. 

Our  Lord  condescended  to  give  Peter  the  additional  evi- 
dence he  asked.  He  bids  him  come  to  him,  and  for  a  time 
his  faith  seems  to  be  strong ;  but  he  had  only  gone  a  few  steps 
when  he  began  to  sink.  There  was  nothing  to  prevent  his 
going  on  that  might  not  have  prevented  his  starting.  True, 
the  waves  were  tempestuous,  but  so  they  were  before  he  left 
the  boat.  The  same  power  that  had  enabled  him  to  take  two 
or  three  steps,  could  have  enabled  him  to  walk  across  the  lake. 
But  he  turned  his  eyes  from  that  power  which  sustained  him, 
to  his  own  weakness  and  his  dangers.  He  became  frightened 
at  his  former  courage ;  began  to  doubt  the  propriety  of  his 
former  faith ;  and  he  instantly  began  to  sink  like  lead. 

Often  have  we  seen  this  same  thing  manifest  itself  in  the 
spiritual  history  of  the  young  convert.  He  has  by  faith  re- 
ceived the  Lord  Jesus  as  his  all  and  in  all.  Peace  reigns  in 
his  heart;  he  rejoices  in  hope;  and  he  goes  on  his  way  re- 
joicing. But  after  a  little  he  begins  to  think  of  his  sins,  the 
evil  that  still  lurks  in  his  heart  begins  to  show  itself;  his  atten- 
tion is  taken  from  the  fullness  that  is  in  Jesus  to  his  own  vile- 
ness,  and  then  he  begins  to  sink  in  a  sea  of  troubles.  Happy 
for  him  if  he  has  still  faith  enough  left  to  pray, — to  cry,  "  Lord 


320  THE    WORLD  S    HOPE. 

save,  or  I  perish."  Then  will  the  arm  that  is  mighty  to  save 
lift  him  up  and  place  his  feet  upon  the  unshaken  rock  of  Divine 
promise.  "  If  it  be  thou,"  will  no  longer  be  the  cry  of  such  a 
soul — that  is  the  creed  of  unbelief;  but  it  will  rather  say,  "I 
know  in  whom  I  have  believed." 

This  spirit  of  unbelief,  if  indulged,  will  grow  upon  the  soul, 
till  the  man  not  only  doubts  about  his  own  personal  salvation, 
but  almost  about  everything.  We  cannot  conceive  of  any- 
thing more  gloomy  than  a  soul  walking  amid  a  perpetual 
doubt  in  regard  to  the  most  vital  and  important  matters  in  the 
whole  universe.  Oh  how  chilling  and  miserable  to  live  under 
the  shadow  of  this  tormenting  if.  If  the  Bible  be  true ;  if 
God  really  does  take  an  interest  in  the  affairs  of  human 
beings;  if  prayer  is  really  ever  heard  or  answered;  if  I  am 
one  of  the  elect ;  or,  it  may  be,  drifting  down  the  dark  stream 
of  unbelief,  till  they  come  to  the  infidel's  prayer,  "Oh  God, if 
there  be  a  God !"  Such  is  the  state  of  many  who  have  trifled 
with  God's  simple,  plain  testimony  as  given. in  his  Holy  Book; 
till  they  are  given  over  to  believe  a  lie.  That  is,  they  find  it 
very  easy  to  believe  what  is  false,  they  have  strong  faith  where 
error  is  concerned;  but  the  moment  that  pure  truth,  fresh  and 
glowing  from  heaven,  is  presented,  they  recoil  back  as  from  an 
enemy.  They  are  like  a  person  whose  stomach  has  been  ruined 
by  intefhperate  living,  till  it  constantly  craves  that  which  will 
only  increase  the  evil,  and  repels,  with  loathing,  that  which 
would  restore  it  to  health  and  tone. 

We  see,  then,  that  trusting  in  Christ  the  believer  is  very 
strong,  but  that  away  from  him  he  is  nothing  but  weakness. 
Paul  had  a  high  appreciation  of  Christ  when  he  said,  "  I  can 
do  all  things  through  Christ  that  strengtheneth  me;"  and  he 
felt  just  as  certain  that  without  him  he  could  do  no  good 
thing.  The  three  Hebrews  were  able  to  walk  through  the  fur- 
nace flames  unhurt  because  the  Son  of  God  was  with  them. 
Fire  or  water,  persecution  or  bodily  affliction,  the  wrath  of 
man  or  the  blandishments  of  the  world;  all  are  powerless  to 
harm  when  Jesus  is  with  us.  We  can  then  say,  "  None  of  these 
things  move  me. "    When  a  hardened  wretch  put  a  pistol  to 


PETER,    THE    APOSTLE.  32I 

the  heart  of  tiie  devoted  Fletcher,  and  threatened  his  life  be- 
cause of  his  faithfuhiess,  he  looked  the  ruffian  calmly  in  his 
eye,  and  said,  "  Have  I  served  the  Lord  these  thirty  years,  now 
to  be  afraid  of  death  ?"  Faith  fears  nothing.  Its  language  is 
not  "  Lord,  if  it  be  thou,"  but  rather,  "  It  is  the  Lord,  let  Him 
do  what  seemeth  good  in  his  sight."  Our  religion,  if  real,  will 
begin  and  end  in  distrust  of  ourselves  and  in  trust  in  Jesus. 
A  noble  Christian  sailor,  when  asked  how  he  could  remain  so 
calm  during  a  fearful  storm,  replied,  "  Though  I  sink,  I  shall 
but  drop  into  my  Father's  hands,  for  he  holds  all  these  waters 
there." 

But  we  must  hasten  on  to  notice  other  events  in  the  life  of 
Peter. 

From  the  naturally  impulsive  and  forward  character  of  Peter 
he  comes  before  us  more  frequently  than  any  of  the  other  of 
the  apostles  in  the  New  Testament  narratives.  On  one  occa- 
sion many  of  our  Lord's  disciples  were  forsaking  him.  The 
holy,  heart-searching  truths  which  he  preached ;  the  sacrifices 
and  self-denial  which  a  profession  of  his  name  demanded ;  the 
persecution  and  contempt  to  which  his  followers  were  con- 
stantly exposed  ;  all  acted  as  a  sifting  wind  to  separate  the 
chaff  from  the  wheat — the  mere  professor  from  the  possessor 
of  his  love.  Even  the  apostles  seemed  shaken,  and  were  ready 
to  depart,  for  Jesus  said  to  them,  "  Will  ye  also  go  away  V 
Peter's  noble  reply  was,  "  Lord,  to  whom  shall  we  go  7  Thou 
hast  the  words  of  eternal  life. "  This  was  very  fine,  and  makes 
our  hearts  warm  toward  the  servant  of  the  Lord ;  but  only  a 
short  time  after  this  he  gave  utterance  to  words  which  called 
forth  a  most  emphatic  rebuke  from  the  Savior. 

The  circumstances  were  these :  the  Lord  was  preparing  the 
minds  of  the  apostles  for  the  tragic  events  that  were  to  take 
place  at  Jerusalem,  when  he  must  die,  the  just  for  the  unjust. 
Peter,  acting,  as  usual,  under  the  power  of  his  feelings,  revolted 
at  the  thought  of  his  loved  Master  being  put  to  death,  and  at 
once  said,  "  Be  it  far  from  thee,  Lord ;  this  shall  not  be  unto 
thee."  This  was  a  manifestation  of  great  presumption,  and 
called  out  one   of  the  most  severe  rebukes  our  Savior  ever 


322  THE    WORLD  S    HOPE. 

Uttered.  "  Get  thee  behind  me,  Satan ;  thou  art  an  offence 
unto  me;  for  thou  savorist  not  the  thmgs  that  be  of  God,  but 
those  that  be  of  men."  Peter  had  at  this  time  a  very  imper- 
fect conception  of  the  nature  of  the  work  which  our  Lord 
came  to  do.  He  wanted  to  leave  the  Cross  out  of  that  work, 
and  that  would  have  been  to  cut  off  the  hope  of  the  world— 
the  only  refuge  of  guilty  men.  Alas  !  how  many  there  are 
still,  who  are  willing  to  blot  out  the  Cross,  to  speak  much  of 
Christ's  beautiful  life,  and  nothing  at  all  about  his  vicarious 
death.  The  Cross  is  still  an  offence  to  such;  to  those  that 
perish  it  is  foolishness. 

This  apostle  was  greatly  honored  by  his  Divine  Master  by 
being  permitted  to  be  with  him  on  special  occasions  of  great 
interest.  He  was  one  of  the  favored  three  that  saw  the  trans- 
figuration on  the  holy  mount.  Seeing  our  Lord's  divinity 
bursting  through  the  body  he  had  taken,  so  that  his  face  shone 
like  the  sun  in  its  brightness,  he  was  filled  with  rapture,  and 
exclaimed,  "  Lord,  it  is  good  for  us  to  be  here ;"  and  even  pro- 
posed that  a  permanent  abode  should  be  made  there.  This 
scene  made  an  impression  upon  him  which  he  never  forgot. 
He  refers  to  it  in  his  second  epistle  in  most  impressive  terms. 
Peter  was  also  one  of  those  who  were  permitted  to  be  with  our 
Lord  on  the  occasion  of  his  deep  agony  in  the  garden,  when 
over  and  over  again  he  uttered  the  prayer  that  the  cup  of  suf- 
fering might  pass.  The  apostle  and  his  associates  were  over- 
powered by  sleep  and  received  the  mild  rebuke,  "  Could  ye 
not  watch  with  me  one  hour  ?"  accompanied  with  a  loving 
apology  for  their  weakness.  "  The  spirit  is  willing  but  the  flesh 
is  weak." 

But  as  the  time  drew  near  for  our  adorable  Redeemer  to 
take  his  departure  from  earth,  events  occurred  that  bring 
Peter  prominently  before  us,  and  that  powerfully  rebuke  that 
self-confidence  which  is  so  strong  an  element  in  our  fallen  na- 
ture. Jesus  had  sougl^t  to  prepare  the  minds  of  his  disci- 
ples for  the  storm  which  was  soon  to  burst  upon  them,  and 
had  warned  them  of  the  feelings  with  which  they  would  be 
tempted  to  regard  him  when  he  became  the  object  of  popular 


PETER,    THE     APOSTLE.  323 

hate.  "All  ye  shall  be  offended  because  of  me."  Here  Peter 
spoke  out  with  great  boldness,  and  no  doubt  with  perfect  sin- 
cerity, "  Though  all  men  shall  be  offended  because  of  thee,  yet 
shall  I  never  be  offended."  Our  Lord,  to  warn  him  not  to  be 
so  self-confident,  told  him  that  he  would  deny  him  three  times 
that  very  night.  The  first  trial  to  which  he  was  put,  he  seemed 
to  have  a  great  deal  of  courage  of  a  certain  kind.  When  they 
came  out  to  arrest  his  Lord  he  showed  no  signs  of  fear;  but 
drawing  his  sword,  he  displayed  all  the  fiery  ardor  of  the  sol- 
dier who  is  ready  to  lay  down  his  life  for  the  cause  he  loves. 
There  is  no  doubt  that  had  Christ's  kingdom  been  of  this  world, 
and  had  he  required  his  apostles  to  lead  forth  an  army  to  fight 
for  him,  Peter  would  have  been  distinguished  as  a  military 
leader.  He  was  not  wanting  in  mere  physical  courage,  but  in 
that  higher  and  nobler  endowment  which  we  call  moral 
courage,  we  will  see  that  he  afterwards  failed.  There  are  many 
who  could  rush  up  to  the  cannon's  mouth,  or  storm  the  deadly 
breach,  or  lead  on  the  desperate  and  almost  hopeless  charge, 
without  shrinking ;  who  have  not  the  courage  to  kneel  down 
and  pray  before  a  wicked  companion,  or  stand  up  for  Jesus  in 
the  camp.  Mere  physical  courage  the  inferior  animals  pos- 
sess, but  to  stand  up  for  the  right,  if  the  whole  world  were 
opposing  us  and  pointing  at  us  the  finger  of  scorn,  has  some- 
thing God-like  about  it. 

Jesus  is  taken  by  an  armed  band  and  is  hurried  off  to  the 
house  of  Caiaphas  the  high  priest.  The  other  disciples  have 
fled,  but  where  is  Peter  }  We  look  to  find  him  by  his  Lord's 
side,  but  he  is  not  there.  Looking  away  behind,  you  see  him 
following  afar  off;  and  we  are  not  told  that  he  seemed  in  a 
great  hurry  to  catch  up.  But  when  at  last  the  place  is  reached 
w^e  surely  expect  to  find  him  side  by  side  with  his  Lord  ;  but 
no  such  siri;ht  gladdens  our  eyes.  He  enters  the  palace,  but 
it  is  only  to  mingle  with  the  servants.  He  does  not  mean  to 
deny  Christ ;  he  takes  a  deep  interest  in  the  result  of  the  trial, 
and  he  wished  to  be  near  Jesus  without  being  at  all  exposed 
to  the  mockery  and  scorn  that  a  full  knowledge  of  who  he  was 
would  involve.     Ah !  he  is  not  the  only  one  who  has  tried  to 


324  THE    world's    HOPE. 

find  a  middle  place-between  Christ  and  the  world;  but  it  has 
always  proved  a  failure.  Not  to  be  for  the  Lord  fully  is  to  be 
against  him ;  and  the  man  who  does  not  stand  on  his  side,  pa- 
tiently and  even  joyfully  taking  all  the  scorn  and  blows  that 
belong  to  the  position,  is  counted  with  his  enemies. 

How  astonished  must  Peter  have  felt  when  a  damsel  turned 
to  him  and  said,  "  Thou  also  wast  with  Jesus  of  Galilee."  We 
can  almost  see  his  face  flush  and  hear  the  throbbing  of  his 
heart  as  he  replies,  "  I  know  not  what  thou  sayest."  He  thinks 
it  best  to  change  his  position,  however,  and  he  went  out  into 
the  porch,  where  another  met  him  and  said,  "  This  fellow  also 
was  with  Jesus  of  Nazareth."  He  seems  now  to  have  felt  a 
good  deal  of  irritation,  for  with  an  oath  he  said,  "  I  do  not 
know  the  man."  Then  returning  into  the  hall  he  stood  by  the 
fire  to  warm  himself,  when  some  persons  standing  by  said  to 
him,  "  Surely  thou  also  art  one  of  them,  for  thy  speech  be- 
trayeth  thee."  Here  was  a  proof  brought  home  to  him  that 
he  could  not  deny,  and,  filled  with  turbulent  passion,  his  guilty 
soul  rushes  into  greater  guilt  by  adding  cursing  and  swearing 
to  this  his  third  denial  of  his  Tord. 

Alas !  how  weak  is  man,  if  left  to  his  own  strength,  in  the 
conflict  with  temptation.  Can  this  be  the  same  man  who  made 
such  a  noble  confession  of  Christ,  who  boasted  that  though  all 
the  world  should  deny  him  he  would  stand  faithful,  who  so 
lately  was  ready  to  fight  for  him,  and  had  taken  the  emblematic 
bread  out  of  his  hand  ?  Yes,  this  is  the  same  man.  He  had 
been  warned  of  the  temptation  that  was  coming  upon  him, 
but  did  not  seem  to  heed  it.  He  was  confident  in  his  own 
power  of  resisting  evil,  and,  stepping  out  of  the  path  of  duty 
to  mingle  with  the  Lord's  enemies,  he  fell.  "Let  him  that 
thinketh  he  standeth,  take  heed  lest  he  fall." 

But  Peter's  fall,  though  very  great,  was  not  of  long  continu- 
ance. That  very  night  he  is  seen  coming  back  to  his  God  a 
weeping  penitent.  The  crowing  of  the  cock,  to  which  our 
Lord  referred  when  he  warned  him  of  his  danger,  together 
with  a  glance  of  peculiar  expressiveness  from  those  eyes  that 
had  so  often  looked  lovingly  upon  him,  were  the  means  that 


PETER,    THE    APOSTLE.  325 

led  to  his  repentance.  It  is  supposed  that  our  Lord  was 
standing  at  the  upper  end  of  the  hall,  and  that  at  the  fit  mo- 
ment he  turned  and  gave  the  guilty  man  that  look  which  he 
will  never  forget  through  all  eternity.  All  his  sinfulness,  with 
its  peculiar  aggravations,  was  made  to  flash  upon  his  mind. 
His  vain  boasts,  his  Lord's  predictions,  his  oaths  and  curses, 
the  unutterable  vileness  and  meanness  of  his  conduct ;  all  lit 
up  his  soul  with  the  gleams  of  a  sudden  conviction,  as  we 
have  seen  the  mighty  ruins  of  some  once  noble  building  Ht  up 
by  the  midnight  lightning.  Rushing  from  the  palace  he  went 
out  into  the  gloom  of  night,  and  wept  bitterly.  Ah !  now  he 
begins  to  come  to  right  views  of  himself.  Memory  is  taking 
him  over  the  past,  and  all  his  sins  are  made  to  stand  before 
him  like  accusing  spirits  of  vengeance.  He  has  no  excuse  to 
make  for  them.  They  are  his  own — the  only  thing  that  he  can 
call  his  own  ;  and  nothing  but  bitterness  of  spirit  does  the 
sight  of  them  produce. 

We  read  no  more  of  this  apostle  till  he  comes  before  us  on 
the  glorious  morning  of  the  Lord's  resurrection.  No  doubt 
the  interval  had  been  a  time  of  great  anguish  of  soul  to  him, 
of  strong  cries  and  tears  before  God.  The  tidings  had 
reached  his  ears  that  the  Redeemer  had  arisen  from  the  dead, 
and  we  see  him,  in  company  with  John,  running  in  eager 
haste  to  reach  the  place  where  he  might  judge  for  himself 
There  was  one  thing  which  must  have  been  very  comforting 
to  his  sad  and  burdened  heart.  A  heavenly  messenger  ap- 
peared to  the  women  at  the  sepulcher,  and,  after  announcing 
that  the  Lord  had  risen,  told  them  to  go  and  tell  his  disciples, 
but  mentioning  the  name  of  Peter  in  particular.  This  let  him 
know  that  the  Lord  still  thought  of  him,  still  loved  him,  and 
wanted  to  comfort  him  with  a  message  of  good  news.  It 
was  as  if  he  had  said,  "  Go  tell  my  brethren,  but  that  poor 
backslider  and  wanderer,  Peter,  in  particular,  that  I  am  still 
alive.  I  know  how  sorrowful  is  his  heart,  how  true  his  re- 
pentance, and  I  have  died  for  his  sins,  and  have  risen  again  for 
his  justification."  This  token  of  love,  and  of  deep  personal  in- 
terest, coming  from  the  Master  he  loved  but  had  so  fearfully 


326  THE    world's    hope. 

sinned    against,    must   have   been    unspeakably    dear    to    his 
heart. 

The  next  we  hear  of  Peter  is  in  that  remarkable  interview 
with  Jesus,  at  the  sea  of  Tiberias.  Several  of  the  apostles 
were  engaged  in  fishing,  but  had  not  succeeded  in  catching 
anything  after  a  night  of  hard  toil.  Early  in  the  morning  a 
stranger  appeared  on  the  shore  who  encouraged  them  to  make 
another  trial  with  their  nets.  This  they  did,  and  they  could 
not  drag  up  the  abundance  of  fishes  which  they  contained. 
This  seems  to  have  led  John  to  think  of  who  the  stranger  was, 
for  he  exclaimed,  ''  It  is  the  Lord."  No  sooner  had  Peter 
heard  this,  than,  with  all  his  characteristic  impetuosity,  he 
plunged  into  the  sea  and  soon  stood,  dripping  with  the  briny 
waters,  before  Jesus.  This  was  the  first  time  he  had  seen  his 
Lord  since  that  awful  night  when  he  denied  him,  and  since  he 
gave  him  that  look  that  melted  his  heart.  Jesus  breaks  the 
silence  by  the  pointed  question,  "  Lovest  thou  me?"  Three 
times  this  question  was  repeated,  at  which  he  felt  grieved ; 
though  as  he  had  thrice  denied  his  Master  he  had  no  right  to 
complain.  We  notice,  also,  that  in  speaking  to  him  the  Lord 
withholds  his  name  of  honor,  and  addresses  him  by  his  old 
worldly  name,  "Simon,  son  of  Jonas."  Yet,  when  he  an^ 
swered,  "  Lord,  thou  knowest  all  things ;  thou  knowest  that  1 
love  thee;"  our  blessed  Savior  took  him  back  into  his  service 
and  appointed  him  his  work,  saying,  "  Feed  my  sheep ;  feed 
my  lambs."  Here  we  see  the  real  test  of  Christian  character, 
which  is,  love  to  Christ.  It  is  not  mere  opinions,  nor  profes^ 
sions,  nor  resolutions  that  are  wanted,  but  pure  heart  love  to 
the  Savior.  As  John  Newton  says,  "  Jesus  did  not  ask  Peter 
what  he  thought  about  the  five  points  of  theology  so  long  in 
dispute  among  controversialists."  Neither  did  he  ask  him  how 
long  he  had  been  under  conviction,  nor  how  strong  had  been 
his  fear  and  terrors  of  coming  wrath.  To  believe  with  the 
whole  heart  that  Jesus  died  for  us  produces  love  to  him ;  and 
love  to  him  produces  obedience  to  his  holy  will ;  arid  this  is 
true  religion. 

In  all  his  after  life  Peter  showed  the  transforming-  power  of 


PETER,    THE     APOSTLE.  327 

the  love  to  Christ  that  had  taken  possession  of  his  heart. 
There  is  no  more  wavering,  no  more  fear  of  consequences  if 
he  follows  the  Lord  fully.  He  stands  up  for  the  Lord  firm 
as  a  rock.  The  next  we  see  of  him  is  at  the  great  outpouring 
of  the  Spirit  on  the  day  of  Pentecost.  The  city  is  in  an 
uproar.  A  wild,  turbulent  mob  fills  the  street,  agitated  by 
conflicting  passions.  Up  stands  Peter,  the  sturdy  fisherman, 
and  begins  to  speak  with  melting  power.  Judging  from  its 
effects,  he  delivers  the  greatest  sermon  ever  uttered  by  human 
lips.  His  words  of  fire  go  from  heart  to  heart.  Sobs  and  cries 
and  prayers  are  heard  all  over  the  crowd,  till  at  last  the 
preacher's  voice  is  lost  in  a  general  crv  to  God  for  mercy ; 
and  also  an  earnest  cry  for  spiritual  direction,  "  Men  and 
brethren,  what  shall  we  do.?"  The  result  was,  that  three 
thousand  were  added  to  the  church. 

Henceforth  Peter  seems  an  entirely  different  man.  He 
comes  before  us  often  in  the  first  part  of  the  Acts  of  the 
Apostles,  and  always  in  a  manner  to  show  us  the  wonderful 
power  and  grace  of  God  in  him.  In  healing  the  sick;  in 
preaching  Jesus  in  all  kinds  of  places,  and  under  the  most 
deadly  persecutions ;  in  telling  the  authorities  that  he  must 
obey  God  rather  than  man ;  in  his  calm  trust  in  God  when  in 
prison,  and  expecting  to  be  led  out  to  execution ;  in  short,  in 
his  whole  deportment  he  shows  the  mighty  power  of  Christ's 
love  when  it  takes  possession  of  the  human  heart. 

Peter  was  honored  to  be  the  first  to  preach  the  gospel  to 
the  Gentiles.  He  was  also  honored  to  be  one  of  the  inspired 
writers  in  the  Holy  Book ;  and  his  two  precious  epistles  have 
edified  millions  of  God's  children,  and  will  continue  to  do  so 
to  the  end  of  time.  Being  dead  he  yet  speaketh.  And  he 
was  honored  to  die  as  a  martyr  for  Jesus.  It  is  generally  held 
that  he  died  when  about  seventy-five  years  of  age,  under  the 
persecutions  of  the  bloody  Nero.  As  to  the  manner  of  his 
death  there  is  an  old  tradition  that  he  was  crucified,  but,  at  his 
own  request,  with  his  head  downwards,  he  deeming  himself 
unworthy  to  die  as  his  Lord  died.  And  now  he  walks  in 
white  with  that  gracious  Savior  that  treated  him  so  tenderly, 
and  that  he  loved  so  dearly. 


328  THE    world's   hope. 

**  Come,  wandering  sheep,  O  come  ! 
I'll  bind  thee  to  My  breast, 
I'll  bear  thee  to  thy  home, 
And  lay  thee  down  to  rest. 
O  come  then  to  My  breast, 
This  is  a  blessed  home, 
Come,  wandering  sheep,  O  come  t 

"  I  saw  thee  stray  forlorn, 

And  heard  thee  faintly  cry, 
And  on  the  tree  of  scorn 
For  thee  I  deigned  to  die. 
What  greater  gift  could  I 
Give  than  to  seek  the  tomb  ? 
Come,  wandering  sheep,  O  come  ?" 


JOHN,    THE    APOSTLE    AND    EVANGELIST.  329 


CHAPTER    XXII. 
JOHN,  THE  APOSTLE  AND  EVANGELIST. 

John  comes  before  us  with  this  preeminence  attached  to 
him  above  all  the  apostles,  "  the  disciple  whom  Jesus  loved." 
In  a  high  and  general  sense  he  loved  them  all ;  but  John,  the 
youngest  of  them  all,  and  possessed  of  a  sweet,  amiable  dispo- 
sition, and  a  wealth  of  loving  affection,  seems  to  have  had  the 
special  friendship  of  our  adorable  Lord.  Many  proofs  of 
Christ's  loving  regard  and  confidence  are  given  in  the  life  of 
this  apostle.  He  was  not  only  one  of  the  three  permitted  to 
witness  his  glory  on  the  mount  and  his  agony  in  the  garden, 
but  to  him  was  first  committed  the  secret  of  who  should 
betray  him,  and  into  his  care  our  Lord  gave  his  mother 
in  the  last  hour  of  his  dying  anguish.  He  not  only  loved  John 
with  the  higher  love  of  a  Savior,  but  with  the  warm  love  of  a 
human  friend.  As  a  man  he  had,  no  doubt,  his  own  particular 
attachments,  as  we  see  often  illustrated  in  the  history  of  his  life. 

John  and  his  brother  James  were  called  into  our  J.ord's  ser- 
vice at  the  same  time.  When  called  to  the  apostleship  they 
were  called  Boanerges,  meaning  sons  of  thunder.  In  John's 
life  there  is  not  much  of  exciting  interest  to  record.  The 
events  of  stirring  importance  which  we  find  in  the  lives  of  Pe- 
ter and  Paul  are,  to  a  great  extent,  wanting  in  his.  He  was  of 
a  loving,  gentle,  mild  and  meditative  character  ;  one  who  would 
be  more  at  home  in  the  study  and  the  closet,  than  struggling 
and  contending  for  the  truth  in  the  rough  scenes  of  the  world. 

There  are  none  of  the  apostles  about  whom  tradition  has 
been  so  busy  in  preserving  anecdotes  as  John.  Eusebius  re- 
lates the  following  beautiful  story :  When  on  a  visit  to  a  city 
near  Ephesus,  he  commended  to  the  care  of  the  pastor  of  the 
church  a  young  man  of  fin£  personal  appearance  and  of  good 


33^ 


THE    WORLD  S    HOPE. 


mind,  as  one  suited  to  the  work  of  the  ministry.  The  pastor 
neglected  his  duty,  and  after  a  while  the  young  man  became 
idle  in  his  habits  and  went  from  bad  to  worse,  till  he  was  pre- 
vailed upon  to  join  a  band  of  robbers,  such  as  then  had  their 
strongholds  in  the  vicinity  of  Greek  cities.  He  even  became 
their  captain,  and  was  eminent  in  crime.  After  a  long  time 
John  visited  the  place  again  and  enquired  for  the  young  man. 
"  He  is  dead,"  said  the  pastor,  "  dead  to  God."  After  hearing 
the  particulars,  and  solemnly  rebuking  the  pastor,  he  mounted 
a  horse,  rode  into  the  country,  and  was  taken  prisoner.  He 
did  not  attempt  to  flee,  but  said,  "  For  this  purpose  I  am  come ; 
conduct  me  to  your  captain."  When  he  entered  the  presence 
of  the  armed  bandit,  the  guilty  man  knew  him  and  tried  to  flee 
from  him.  "Why  dost  thou  fly,  my  son,"  he  said,  "from  thy 
father — thy  defenceless,  aged  father  ?  Fear  not ;  thou  still 
hast  hope  of  life,  I  will  pray  to  Christ  for  thee,  I  will  give  my 
life  for  thine.     Believe  that  Christ  hath  sent  me." 

The  man  was  quite  subdued,  cast  himself  into  the  arms  of 
the  apostle,  prayed  with  many  tears  for  pardon,  and  was  re- 
stored to  the  fellowship  of  the  church. 

There  is  also  a  traditional  story  of  John  being  carried  into 
the  church  at  Ephesus  in  his  old  age,  and  of  his  stretching  out 
his  trembling  hands,  wfiile  he  said,  several  times  over,  "  Little 
childreuj  love  one  another." 

There  are  many  proofs  that  John  was  not  only  loved  of  Jesus, 
but  that  he  returned  the  love  with  the  warmest  fervor.  "  We 
love  him  because  he  first  loved  us."  His  standing  near  to  the- 
cross  when  the  other  disciples  had  forsaken  the  Master,  his 
tender  care  of  the  bereaved  mother,  the  early  visit  to  the  sep- 
ulcher,  out-running  even  the  impetuous  Peter,  all  tell  how  much 
he  loved  his  Divine  Lord.  It  was  more  than  a  love  of  mere 
human  friendship,  it  was  the  love  of  a  soul  that  felt  itself  saved 
by  precious  blood  shed  on  the  cross.  He  felt  that  he  owed 
his  all  for  time  and  eternity  to  that  Savior,  and  therefore  es- 
teemed it  his  very  highest  honor  to  work  and  to  suffer  in  his 
service.  This  is  vital  and  essential  to  the  spiritual  life  of  all  ; 
there  can  be  no  true  religion  without  it. 


JOHN,    THE    APOSTLE    AND    EVANGELIST.  331 

This  love  which  the  apostle  had  for  Jesus  led  to  love  for  the 
members  of  the  church.  His  religion  was  of  a  highly  practical 
character,  and  he  reasoned  that  love  to  the  Great  Father  would 
produce  love  to  his  children.  "  Beloved,  if  God  so  loved  us, 
we  ought  also  to  love  one  another."  Here  is  a  statement  that 
commends  itself  to  our  judgments  and  our  consciences.  "  If 
a  man  says,  I  love  God,  and  hateth  his  brother,  he  is  a  liar ; 
for  he  that  loveth  not  his  brother  whom  he  hath  seen,  how  can 
he  love  God  whom  he  hath  not  seen  .?"  He  scathingly  rebukes 
that  class  of  people  whose  love  and  liberality  is  all  in  an  empty 
profession.  "  Whoso  hath  this  world's  good,  and  shutteth  up 
his  bowels  of  compassion  from  him,  how  dwelleth  the  love  of 
God  in  him  .'*  let  us  not  love  in  word,  neither  in  tongue ;  but 
in  deed  and  in  truth."  With  him  Christian  love  was  not  merely 
something  for  poets  to  sing  of,  or  for  orators  to  declaim  about, 
but  the  very  life  and  spring  of  all  spiritual  action. 

John's  natural  character  has  been,  I  think,  to  some  extent 
mistaken.  Some  speak  as  if  this  love  to  which  we  have  referred 
was  natural  to  him,  the  result  of  disposition  rather  than  of 
grace.  Modern  painters  have  represented  him  with  a  soft  and 
languid  expression  upon  his  countenance,  and  of  a  weak  and 
feminine  appearance.  Stanley,  in  his  "Apostolic  Age,"  says  of 
him,  "  It  is  not  as  John  the  beloved  disciple,  but  as  John  the 
Son  of  Thunder ;  not  as  the  apostle  who  leaned  on  his  Mas- 
ter's breast  at  supper,  but  as  the  apostle  who  called  down  fire 
from  heaven,  who  claimed  with  his  brother  the  highest  places 
in  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  and  who  forbade  the  man  to  cast 
out  devils,  that  he  was  known  to  the  readers  of  the  first  three 
gospels."  We  see  what  he  afterwards  became  under  the  power 
of  Christ's  love,  and  of  the  regeneration  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 
All  that  depth  and  warmth  of  love  was  not  the  cause  of  our 
Lord  loving  him,  but  the  effect  of  his  doing  so. 

The  loving  presence  of  Jesus  transformed  him  into  his  own 
image,  so  that  his  revengeful  and  ambitious  temper  is  seen 
no  more.  Like  Him  he  loved,  he  was  meek  and  lowly  of  heart. 
This  will  be  the  result  of  communion  with  Jesus  always.  It 
changes  the  whole  man,  and  takes  possession  of  his  entire  na- 


$^2  THE    WORLD  S    HOPE. 

ture.  Where  lusts,  evil  tempters,  irritable  and  revengeful 
passions,  and  dark,  sullen  thoughts  held  sway,  Christ's  love 
takes  the  control  and  makes  him  a  new  creature.  It  is  a  bad 
sign  of  us  if  our  religion  does  not  make  us  better  in  all  the  re- 
lations of  life,  so  that  all  our  friends  will  not  only  know  that 
we  have  been  with  Jesus,  but  know  also  that  we  have  been 
made  Christ-like  by  the  contact.  "  If  any  man  have  not  the 
spirit  of  Christ,  he  is  none  of  his." 

We  will  now  call  the  readers  attention  to  some  events  in  the 
life  of  this  apostle  that  will  illustrate  the  remarks  we  have 
made  above. 

On  a  certain  occasion  John  and  some  other  of  the  disciples 
saw  a  man  casting  out  devils  in  the  name  of  Christ,  and  he  at 
once  forbade  him  to  do  so,  because  he  did  not  belong  to  their 
company.  This  was  such  a  narrow  and  bigoted  view  of  our 
Lord's  design  in  coming  to  earth  that  he  rebuked  it  in  the 
most  pointed  manner.  "  Forbid  him  not,  for  he  that  is  not 
against  us,  is  for  us."  This  rebukes  that  spirit  which  looks 
upon  the  efforts  of  other  denominations  with  suspicion  because 
they  differ,  in  some  respects,  from  us.  It  condemns  those  who 
look  with  a  cold  eye,  and  utter  doubtful  words  about  revivals 
that  are  not  conducted  by  their  own  church.  Such  persons, 
instead  of  rejoicing  that  souls  are  saved,  are  ready  to  first 
call  your  attention  to  some  extravagance  in  conducting  the 
meetings,  or  some  mere  incidental  blemish,  such  as  belongs  to 
nearly  all  human  efforts.  Let  us  try  to  cultivate  the  noble 
liberality  of  soul  that  marked  Paul  when  he  rejoiced  that  the 
gospel  was  preached,  even  when  a  spirit  of  opposition  and 
envy  was  prominent  in  those  who  proclaimed  it. 

Let  me  now  call  attention  to  another  error  into  which  John 
fell.  When  Jesus  was  journeying  to  Jerusalem  a  village  of 
Samaritans  refused  to  entertain  him,  no  doubt  on  account  of 
their  hatred  of  the  Jewish  people ;  John  regarded  this  as  an 
insult  to  his  Master  and  became  very  indignant  and  wished 
fire  from  heaven  to  be  sent  upon  the  offenders.  This  was  zeal 
without  knowledge,  and  showed  a  spirit  the  very  reverse  of 
the  gospel  of  love.     Our  Lord's  reply  conveyed  not  only  a 


JOHN,    THE    APOSTLE    AND    EVANGELIST  ^^^ 

sharp  rebuke,  but  also  a  noble  sentiment  which  should  fill  the 
world  with  joy.  "  The  Son  of  man  is  not  come  to  destroy 
men's  lives,  but  to  save  them."  He  told  them  that  they  knew 
not  what  manner  of  spirit  they  had  when  under  the  pro- 
fession of  love  for  him,  they  sought  to  rush  unprepared  souls 
into  eternity.  How  true  it  is,  that  "  the  wratlf  of  man  worketh 
not  the  righteousness  of  God."  O  that  we  had  always  the 
loving  and  forgiving  spirit  of  Jesus !  That  spirit  which  led 
him  to  pray  for  his  enemies,  "  Father  forgive  them,  for  they 
know  not  what  they  do."  What  a  lovely  and  perfect  model 
we  have  in  Jesus  ! 

No  doubt  the  fiery  displeasure  of  the  apostle  on  this  occa- 
sion arose,  in  part,  from  his  strong  prejudice  against  the 
Samaritans,  whom  he  had  been  taught  to  despise  from  his 
youth.  He  had  often  heard  the  Scribes  and  the  Pharises  heap 
insults  upon  the  head  of  his  Lord,  and  yet  had  not  wished 
them  to  be  consumed  by  the  lightnings  of  heaven.  Hence  we 
should  avoid  the  indulgence  of  prejudice  against  our  fellow- 
men.  It  will  mislead  us  in  all  our  thoughts  of  them,  bias  our 
modes  of  reasoning  about  them,  and  stamp  with  its  own  dark 
impress  all  the  conclusions  at  which  we  arrive  about  them. 

We  now  call  the  reader's  attention  to  an  event  in  John's 
history,  which  shows  the  imperfect  knowledge  which,  at  that 
time,  he  had  of  Christ's  kingdom.  When  our  Lord  was  on  his 
last  journey  to  Jerusalem,  and  had  foretold  his  death  on  the 
cross,  John  and  his  brother  presented  by  their  mother  a  peti- 
tion requesting  that  they  might  be  exalted  to  the  highest 
positions  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  They  had  worldly 
notions  of  the  Savior  establishing  a  temporal  kingdom  on 
earth,  and  selfishly  wanted  to  secure  for  themselves  the  best 
places.  The  mild  reply  was,  "Ye  know  not  what  ye  ask." 
Alas!  how  often  is  this  the  case  with  us  all.  We  ask  things 
in  our  ignorance,  which,  if  God  were  to  give  us,  would  prove 
our  ruin.  How  much  of  what  is  called  praying  breath  is 
spent  in  vain,  because  we  ask  amiss.  Surely  there  is  great 
need  of  the  prayer,  "  Lord,  teach  us  how  to  pray." 


334 


THE    WORLD  S    HOPE. 


Jesus  asked  them,  "Are  ye  able  to  drink  of  the  cup  that  I 
shall  drink  of,  and  to  be  baptised  with  the  baptism  that  I  am 
baptised  with?"  That  is,  can  ye  take  part  in  those  most 
appalling  troubles  that  lie  right  before  me,  and  like  surging 
billows  are  soon  to  come  down  upon  me  ?  To  this  question  they 
gave  an  affirmative  reply :  '^  We  are  able."  Our  Lord  acknowl- 
edged that  they  might  be  made  partakers  of  his  sufferings, 
which  was  afterwards  the  case ;  but  that  an  exalted  place  in 
glory  could  only  be  given  to  those  for  whom  it  was  prepared, 
that  is,  a  holy  people.  Heaven  is  a  prepared  place  for  a  pre- 
pared people.  Its  lofty  seats  are  not  the  gifts  of  partial 
friendship,  but  are  given  to  those  who  through  the  blood  of 
Jesus,  have  attained  the  greatest  likeness  to  Him. 

There  is  one  event  in  the  life  of  John  that  greatly  endears 
him  to  every  Christian  heart.  When  the  blessed  Savior  was 
on  the  cross,  in  the  midst  of  his  sufferings,  there  stood  the 
noble  apostle  to  the  very  last.  And  his  courage  and  his  con- 
stancy did  not  go  without  their  reward.  Looking  upon  him 
from  the  cross,  his  dying  Master  gave  him  a  proof  of  his  great 
regard  and  confidence,  by  committing  to  his  care  his  mother. 
He  took  her  to  his  own  house,  and  from  that  hour  treated  her 
with  all  filial  tenderness  and  love.  The  love  of  Jesus  which 
he  saw  so  fully  displayed  on  the  bloody  tree,  and  in  the  whole 
of  the  Redeemer's  wonderful  life,  transformed  his  whole 
nature  into  love.  Henceforth  he  lived  not  to  himself,  nor 
sought  his  own  glory,  but  the  glory  of  God,  and  the  good  of 
mankind  became  the  supreme  desire  of  his  soul. 

And  it  is  faith  in  Christ's  love  alone  that  can  change  any 
human  heart.  None  are  born  holy,  none  love  God  and  the 
souls  of  men  naturally.  There  are  differences  of  natural 
disposition  among  the  human  family,  but  so  far  as  real  holiness 
of  heart  is  concerned,  they  have  all  alike  departed  from  God, 
and  can  only  be  brought  back  by  the  blood  of  Jesus.  This 
was  seen  lately  in  a  Tract  Society  meeting,  in  London.  A 
man  who  had  been  a  notorious  sinner,  rose  up  and  said  : 

"  These  fists,  my  friends,  struck  the  devil's  blows ;  these 
feet  trod   the  devil's  steps;  this  body  was  the  devil's  home; 


JOHN,    THE    APOSTLE    AND    EVANGELIST.  335 

this  soul,  the  devil's  victim ;  but  one  day  a  tract  of  the  Relig- 
ious Tract  Society  was  put  into  my  hands,  and  Jesus  Christ 
was  too  strong  for  the  prize  fighter  that  stands  before  you. 
My  soul  was  in  such  a  state  that  I  groaned  and  wept ;  I  could 
not  eat  or  sleep.  On  Lord's  day  morning  I  heard  Mr.  Spurg- 
eon  preach ;  and  as  he  lifted  up  Jesus  as  the  refuge  for  the 
sinner's  soul,  I  said  to  myself,  '  That  is  what  I  want ;  He  is  a 
refuge  for  my  soul;'  and  then   and  there  my  soul  got  liberty. 

"Now,"  added  he,  "these  hands  work  for  Jesus,  these  feet 
walk  with  Jesus,  this  body  is  a  temple  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  this 
soul  is  the  purchase  of  his  blood.  Men,  which  of  you  will 
keep  back  from  Jesus  to-night,  when  he  has  saved  the  prize- 
fighter before  you .?" 

Peter's  question  of  mere  curiosity,  in  regard  to  Jesus'  future, 
got  this  reply :  "  If  I  will  that  he  tarry  till  I  come,  what  is 
that  to  thee.?"  This  gave  rise  to  a  report  that  John  was  not 
to  die;  and  although  he  refuted  the  notion  in  the  gospel  that 
he  wrote,  yet  even  in  the  days  of  Augustine  there  were  some 
who  thought  him  still  alive.  He  was,  perhaps,  the  only  one  of 
the  apostles  who  did  not  die  a  martyr's  death,  and  that,  not 
because  he  was  less  faithful  than  others,  but  because  God  had 
other  work  for  him  to  do,  down  to  his  old  age.  He  had  the 
true  martyr  spirit,  and  would  have  died  a  thousand  deaths 
rather  than  deny  his  Lord, 

After  the  Lord's  ascension,  John  comes  out  more  prominent 
as  a  zealous  worker  for  the  truth.  In  common  with  the  others 
he  enjoyed  the  great  outpouring  of  the  Spirit  on  the  day  of 
Pentecost.  He  and  Pettr  are  spoken  of  as  frequent  compan- 
ions in  works  of  faith  and  in  labors  of  love.  When  going 
up  to  the  temple  to  worship,  they  cured  the  lame  man  in  the 
name  of  Jesus.  They  were  together  preaching  when  they 
were  arrested  and  cast  into  prison.  They  were  together 
before  the  council  when  they  refused  to  promise  to  preach  no 
more,  but  boldly  said  they  must  obey  God  rather  than  man. 
They  also  went  down  from  Jerusalem  together  to  comfort  and 
confirm  the  young  converts  in  Samaria.  There  they  imparted 
many  spiritual  gifts  to  the   people  of  God,  and  preached  the 


336  THE    world's    hope. 

gospel  with  great  power  in  the  region  around.  These  two  men, 
so  unlike  in  their  natural  disposition,  were  great  helps  to 
each  other ;  and  like  Luther  and  Melancthon  amid  the  struggles 
of  the  Reformation,  they  accomplished  that  together  which, 
separated,  neither  could  have  done  so  well. 

It  would  seem  that  John  made  his  chief  residence  at  Jeru- 
salem. Paul  speaks  of  him  in  his  epistle  to  the  Galatians,  as 
a  main  pillar  in  the  church  there.  But  after  some  time  he 
removed  to  Ephesus,  and  from  thence  he  took  long  journeys 
in  Asia,  to  publish  the  good  news  of  Jesus. 

We  are  told  that  during  the  great  persecution  raised  by  the 
Roman  emperor  Domitian,  John  was  sent  to  Rome,  where 
he  was  condemned  to  die  by  being  cast  into  a  cauldron  of  boil- 
ing oil,  from  which  the  Lord  brought  him  forth  unhurt. 
Whether  this  tradition  be  true  or  not,  we  know  that  man  is 
immortal  till  his  Lord's  time  has  come  to  call  him,  and  that 
this  apostle  was  preserved  to  a  good  old  age,  in  spite  of  all  his 
enemies. 

John's  gospel  was  published  after  all  the  others,  and  brings 
out  many  things  that  had  been  omitted  by  them.  He  gives 
the  Divinity  of  the  Lord  Jesus  a  very  prominent  place  in  all 
his  writings,  and  joyfully  bears  his  testimony  to  not  only  be- 
holding his  glory,  but  to  also  receiving  of  his  fullness.  He  sees 
in  his  Lord  two  things  that  specially  fill  his  soul  with  delight, 
that  is,  LIGHT  and  love.  Light  to  illuminate  the  whole  mind, 
light  to  walk  by  in  this  dark  world,  light  to  work  by  in  the 
Master's  service ;  and  love  to  fill  the  heart,  to  give  the  true 
motive-power  to  every  duty,  and  to  draw  us  in  our  heart- 
longings  to  that  world  where  all  is  love. 

This  holy  apostle  lived  to  see  the  gospel  that  he  loved  ex- 
tend through  the  greater  part  of  the  then  known  world.  But 
he  lived  also  to  see  some  deadly  errors  creep  into  the  church. 
None  of  these  distressed  him  more  than  that  which  denied  the 
divinity  of  Jesus.  He  opposed  it  with  great  firmness  and 
earnestness.  "  This  is  that  spirit  of  antichrist,  whereof  ye 
have  heard  that  it  should  come,  and  even  now  already  is  it  in 
the  world."    We   have   much   reason   to   bless    God   for  his 


JOHN,    THE    APOSTLE    AND    EVANGELIST.  337 

writings,  which  have  been  for  the  defence  of  truth,  and  for  the 
comfort  and  edification  of  God's  people  in  every  age,  since 
his  day.  There  is  great  sweetness  of  expression,  joined  to 
great  sublimity  of  thought,  in  all  that  we  have  from  his  pen. 

Although  John's  epistles  breathe  a  sweet  spirit  of  love,  yet 
when  he  comes  to  speak  of  error  he  comes  out  as  a  true  son 
of  thunder.  "Whosoever  transgresseth,  and  abideth  not  in 
the  doctrine  of  Christ,  hath  not  God."  And  he  goes  on  to 
tell  them  not  to  receive  such  into  their  houses,  nor  bid  them 
God  speed.  In  this  age  of  sham  liberality  this  would  no 
doubt  be  called  bigotry ;  but  love  to  the  souls  of  men  is  quite 
consistent  with  undying  hatred  to  soul-destroying  errors. 
There  is  a  latitudinarianism  that  sneers  at  everything  in  the 
form  of  zeal  or  doctrine.  But  this  finds  no  sanction  in  the 
book  of  God.  Paul  said  that  if  any  man  preached  any  other 
gospel  he  was  to  be  considered  accursed. 

At  length  the  hand  of  persecution  fell  heavily  upon  the 
apostle-  He  is  banished  to  the  island  of  Patmos,  condemned, 
as  he  tells  us,  "  For  the  word  of  God,  and  for  the  testimony  of 
Jesus  Christ."  It  was  while  there  that  that  wonderful  and 
sublime  book  of  the  Revelations  was  written  by  him.  In  the 
midst  of  his  solitude,  on  one  particular  Lord's  day,  his  soul 
was  greatly  refreshed  and  comforted.  Under  the  sweet  influ- 
ence of  the  Spirit,  his  prison  became  like  a  paradise  to  him. 
Suddenly  a  voice  addressed  him  in  tones  distinct  and  clear ; 
and  turning  round  he  saw,  to  his  unspeakable  joy,  his  blessed 
Lord  standing  before  him.  There  is  He  on  whose  bosom  he 
leaned  so  lovingly,  with  whom  he  walked  and  talked  amid  the 
scenes  of  Judea,  and  whose  sufferings  on  the  cross  he  had 
witnessed  ;  but  how  changed  is  his  appearance ' 

Then  he  was  the  man  of  sorrows,  in  the  midst  of  his  hu- 
miliation ;  now  he  is  glorified.  He  appeared  to  John  clothed 
in  a  garment  of  light  and  glory,  and  girt  about  with  a  golden 
girdle.  His  eyes  were  like  a  flame  of  fire,  his  feet  like  brass 
when  it  burns  and  gleams  in  a  furnace,  and  the  majestic  tones 
of  his  voice  were  like  the  sound  of  many  waters.  His  coun- 
tenance shone  like  the  sun  in  its  noon  day  glory;  in  his  hand 


338  THE    world's    hope. 

were  seven  stars,  signifying  the  ministers  of  the  churches ;  and 
out  of  his  mouth  went  a  sharp  two-edged  sword,  no  doubt 
emblematic  of  the  power  of  his  word.  At  this  sight  John  fell 
down  like  one  dead,  but  Jesus  laid  his  hand  upon  his  head 
sa)ang,  "  Fear  not ;  I  am  he  that  liveth,  and  was  dead ;  and 
behold,  I  am  alive  forevermore." 

He  was  then  commanded  to  write  in  a  book  the  things 
that  would  be  revealed  to  him.  The  counsels  of  the  Lord  in 
regard  to  future  ages,  and  the  wonderful  designs  of  Provi- 
dence in  the  future,  were  all  made  known  to  him  in  visions 
hard  to  be  understood.  The  glories  of  the  heavenly  home 
were  made  known  to  him,  in  views  thrilling  and  delightful. 
He  was  permitted  to  look  upon  the  throne  of  God,  and  to 
hear  the  lofty  swell  of  the  song  of  pi*aise  from  angels  and 
saints.  He  gives  us  such  a  view  of  God,  and  of  the  future 
glorious  home  of  the  believer  as  excite  our  love  and  joy. 
This  poor  world  seems  but  a  dark  passage-way  through  which 
we  are  passing  to  our  Father's  home,  and  we  long  to  get  out 
into  the  light  of  an  eternal  day ;  the  society  of  heaven  seems 
more  attractive  as  we  gaze  upon  their  employments,  and  we 
long  to  join  the  blessed  company  that  move  around  the  eternal 
throne. 

John  was  privileged  with  bright  views  of  heaven  when  on 
earth,  but  how  much  clearer  and  brighter  does  he  now  behold 
eternal  things.  Compared  with  what  he  now  knows,  he  was 
formerly  seeing  dimly  through  a  glass.  Let  us  seek  to  get 
ready  for  that  state  by  being  washed  in  the  blood  of  Jesus,  by 
having  the  seal  of  God  on  our  fo'reheads,  and  by  such  a  train- 
ing of  love  in  communion  with  Jesus  here,  that  it  will  be  easy 
for  us  to  join  in  the  song  of  heaven:  "Blessing,  and  honor, 
and  glory,  and  power,  be  unto  him  that  sitteth  upon  the  throne, 
and  unto  the  Lamb,  for  ever  and  ever." 

John  found  in  his  solitude  that  his  Lord  had  not  forgotten 
him,  nor  the  churches  from  which  his  bodily  presence  was  now 
removed.  More  than  half  a  century  had  gone  past  since  he 
ascended  on  high,  and  he  shows  that  his  love  to  the  church  is 
still  the  same.  It  is  true,  that  during  that  time  he  had  appeared 


JOHN,    THE    APOSTLE    AND    EVANGELIST.  339 

to  the  dying  Stephen,  and  the  persecuting  Saul ;  but  now  he 
breaks  again  the  silence  of  eternity  to  deliver  his  last  message 
to  the  churches,  and  to  complete  the  canon  of  Scripture. 

This  renowned  Isle  of  Patmos  where  the  apostle  was  so  long 
confined,  is  often  visited  by  modern  travelers.  They  describe 
it  as  rugged,  desolate  and  barren,  and  in  every  way  unattract- 
ive. To  this  gloomy  abode  Roman  officers  conducted  the 
beloved  disciple,  and  left  him  alone  with  God  and  a  good  con- 
science, the  best  of  company  in  trouble.  There  is  a  rocky 
mountain  which  rises  up  from  the  sea,  and  about  half  way  up 
is  found  a  natural  grotto  formed  in  the  rocks.  Tradition  says 
that  into  this  John  often  retired  for  prayer  and  meditation, 
and  that  this  was  the  place  where  he  saw  the  Lord  Jesus  on 
that  memorable  Lord's  day  of  which  he  speaks. 

We  can  imagine  that  we  see  this  venerable  old  man,  then 
about  ninety  years  of  age,  walking  around  his  rocky  prison. 
His  countenance  beams  with  love,  and  as  he  looks  over  the 
past,  as  old  men  delight  to  do,  he  has  the  most  delightful  mem- 
ories to  recall.  Unlike  the  great  Emperor  of  the  French  when 
confined  to  his  isle  of  the  sea,  he  has  not  to  look  back  upon 
bloody  battle-fields,  and  desolate  homes,  and  blazing  cities.^ 
with  long  trains  of  widows  and  orphans,  made  such  by  his  mad 
ambition.  There  are  few  things  in  history  more  sad  than  that 
great  general  in  his  last  moments,  muttering  out  his  commands 
to  his  armies,  and  in  imagination  fighting  over  his  bloody  con- 
flicts when  he  was  in  the  grasp  of  the  great  conqueror  death. 
John  had  very  different  scenes  to  look  back  upon. 
I  With  what  happy  emotions  would  he  look  back  upon  the 
time  when  the  God-man  came  up  to  him  and  said,  "  Follow  me." 
And  with  what  delight  he  would  call  up  the  many  discourses  he 
had  heard  from  the  lips  of  Jesus,  and  the  many  mighty  miracles 
he  had  seen  wrought  by  his  hands.  That  sight  on  the  Mount  of 
Transfiguration;  the  institution  of  the  supper  when  he  leaned 
upon  the  bosom  of  the  Lord ;  the  awful  night  in  Gethsemane, 
with  its  prayers  and  sweat  of  blood  ;  and  the  cross  with  the 
Divine  sufferer  upon  it,  the  darkness,  the  earthquake,  the  cry, 
"It  is  finished ;"  all  would  he  fondly  dwell  upon  in  his  solitary 


340  THE    WORLD  S    HOPE. 

hours.  He  would  recall  the  joy  he  felt  when  the  good  news 
broke  upon  his  ears,  "The  Lord  is  risen,"  and  his  early  run 
to  the  sepulcher ;  the  happy  meeting  when  Jesus  unexpectedly 
appeared  in  their  midst  and  said,  "  Peace  be  unto  you;"  and 
that  wonderful  walk  up  the  slopes  of  Olivet,  when  he  breathed 
upon  them  his  parting  blessing  and  was  received  up  into  glory. 

Nor  could  he  cease  to  think  of  subsequent  thrilling  scenes, 
such  as  the  mighty  out-pouring  of  the  Spirit  on  the  day  of 
Pentecost,  the  death  of  Stephen,  the  martyrdom  of  his  own 
dear  brother  James,  the  awful  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  and 
many  pleasant  remembrances  of  the  holy  lives  and  the  tri- 
umphant deaths  of  his  fellov\^  apostles,  all  of  whom  had  entered 
upon  their  eternal  rest.  Standing  upon  that  barren  rock,  he 
could  take  a  long  look  over  the  past  and  a  joyful  look  into  the 
future,  and  say,  in  his  own  inspired  words,  "  Behold,  now  are 
we  the  sons  of  God ;  and  it  doth  not  yet  appear  what  we  shall 
be ;  but  when  he  shall  appear  we  shall  be  like  him,  for  we 
shall  see  him  as  he  is." 

This  was  the  real  heaven  for  which  John  longed,  likeness  to 
Christ.  His  loftiest  conception  of  happiness  was  to  be  with 
Jesus  and  like  him  at  the  same  time.  It  is  a  glorious  thing  to 
be  a  son  of  God,  but  to  be  such  a  son  as  Christ  had  proved 
himself  to  be — one  who  never  disobeyed,  who  regarded  it  as 
his  meat  and  drink  to  do  his  Father's  will,  and  who  pleased 
the  Father  in  all  things  perfectly — this  is  what  is  implied  in 
our  being  like  him.  Yes,  likeness  to  him  has  been  the  strong- 
est wish,  the  most  ardent  hope  of  pious  souls  in  all  ages.  For 
this  their  prayers  have  ascended  to  heaven  by  night  and  by  day  ; 
and  when  at  last  they  shall  be  able  to  utter  sinless  songs  and 
adore  God  with  a  sinless  heart,  whoxan  tell  their  unspeakable 
blessedness !  With  sinless  souls,  intellects  strengthened  and 
exalted,  and  tongues  flowing  out  in  an  eloquence  of  song  and 
praise,  O  what  a  rapturous  eternity  is  before  God's  people  ! 

In  closing  this  chapter  let  us  observe,  that  we  have  the  same 
reasons  for  loving  Jesus  that  John  had.  For  us  the  same  pre- 
cious blood  was  shed,  the  same  agonizing  sufferings  endured ; 
for  us  he  intercedes  in  heaven,  and  he  sends  the  Holy  Spirit 


JOHN,    THE    APOSTLE    AND    EVANGELIST.  341 

to  make  intercession  within  us  on  earth.  For  us  he  has  pre- 
pared the  same  home  in  heaven,  and  his  Providences  taking 
the  same  tender  care  of  us  in  our  journey  on  earth.  John 
said,  "We  love  him  because  he  fiist  loved  us."  That  is  the 
gospel  in  a  small  compass — in  a  nutshell,  as  it  were.  It  is  one 
of  those  strong,  pithy  sentences  wita  which  his  writings  abound, 
and  which  as  Dr.  McAU  said,  contain  the  very  core  of  the  gos- 
pel. Faith  fixes  its  eye  upon  his  love  as  manifested  to  us,  and 
as  it  gazes,  the  heart  begins  to  burn,  till  it  cries,  "  O,  the  height 
and  the  depth,  the  length  and  the  breadth  of  the  love  of  Christ, 
it  passeth  knowledge !" 

"  Without,  within,  is  light,  is  light, 

Around,  above,  is  love,  is  love; 
We  enter,  to  go  out  no  more, 
We  raise  the  song  unsung  before. 
We  doff  the  sackcloth  that  we  wore  ; 

For  all  is  joy  above. 

"Ascend,  Beloved,  to  the  life  ; 
Our  days  of  death  are  o'er ; 
Mortality  has  done  its  worst, 
The  fetters  of  the  tomb  are  burst, 
The  last  has  now  become  the  first, 
For  ever,  evermore. 

"Ascend,  Beloved,  to  the  feast ; 

Make  haste,  thy  day  is  come  ; 
Thrice  blest  are  they  the  Lamb  doth  call, 
To  share  the  heavenly  festival, 
In  the  new  Salem's  palace-hall, 

Our  everlasting  home  ! " 


342  THE    world's    HOPE. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 
PAUL,  THE  APOSTLE  OF  THE  GENTILES. 

We  are  now  to  consider  the  Christian  character  and  career 
of  one  of  the  greatest  of  men.  His  original  name  was  Saul, 
and  he  was  born  in  the  city  of  Tarsus,  in  Cilicia,  which  lies  on 
the  bank  of  Cydnus.  It  was  a  special  favor  conferred  upon 
the  natives  of  that  city,  that  they  had  the  freedom  and  privi- 
leges of  Roman  citizens.  His  parents  were  Jews,  and  it  was 
his  boast  that  he  could  trace  his  descent  from  Abraham,  and 
that  all  the  necessary  ritual  observances  had  been  attended  to 
in  his  youth.  His  own  words  concerning  this  are,  "  Circum- 
cised the  eighth  day,  of  the  stock  of  Israel,  of  the  tribe  of 
Benjamin,  a  Hebrew  of  the  Hebrews." 

We  can  conceive  of  the  deep  interest  with  which  he  would 
listen  to  his  mother  as  she  told  him  the  wonderful  story  of 
God's  dealings  with  her  people,  and  sa.ng  to  him  some  of  the 
sweet  songs  of  David.  He  was  taught  the  trade  of  a  tent- 
maker,  as  it  was  customary  with  the  Jews  to  give  their  child- 
ren the  knowledge  of  some  trade,  even  when  in  opulent 
circumstances ;  so  that  whatever  might  happen  in  after  life, 
they  might  be  able  to  support  themselves.  It  is  much  to  be 
regretted  that  this  custom  is  not  universal.  That  Saul's  parents 
were  in  easy  circumstances,  we  infer  from  the  fact  that  they 
gave  him  a  learned  education  and  sent  him  to  Jerusalem  to 
study  under  Gamaliel,  the  great  doctor  of  the  age  in  which  he 
lived. 

The  first  notice  we  have  of  Saul  in  the  sacred  history,  is  on 
the  occasion  of  the  martyrdom  of  Stephen.  He  was  consent- 
ing to  that  vile  murder,  and  took  charge  of  the  clothing  of 
those  who  stoned  to  death  that  good  man.  But  it  is  of  the 
nature  of  sin  that  its  votaries  go  from  bad  to  worse,  and  this 
young  man  was  no  exception.  He  became  furious  and  savage 
as  a  wild  beast  in  his  opposition  to  Christians.     He  made 


PAUL,    THE    APOSTLE    OF    THE    GENTILES.  343 

havoc  of  the  church,  dragging  men  and  women  to  prison  and 
to  death,  as  his  daily  emplo}aTient.  We  are  told  that  he 
*' breathed  out  threatenings  and  slaughters,"  as  if  his  very  hfe 
breath  \yas  vengeance  and  blood.  He  tells  us  himself  that  he 
was  "  exceeding  mad  "  against  Christ's  followers,  and  not  con- 
tent with  a  local  bloodshed,  he  even  pursued  them  to  strange 
cities.  He  got  a  commission  to  go  to  Damascus  on  this 
bloody  errand,  with  a  number  of  assistants,  and  entered  upon  it 
with  all  that  relentless  determination  and  fiery  zeal  which  were 
a  part  of  his  nature. 

We  see  that  wicked,  cruel  band  on  the  way  to  that  distant 
city.  Fresh  from  scenes  of  carnage  and  blood,  and  flushed 
with  the  power  that  has  been  put  into  their  hands  by  their 
superior,  they  rush  on  like  blood-hounds  that  have  got  upon 
the  right  scent.  The  leader,  though  young  in  years,  is  old  in 
the  business  of  persecution ;  and  in  this  journey  he  hopes  to 
gratify  his  vindictive  ambition,  and  acquire  fresh  laurels  as  an 
enemy  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth.  His  strong  and  active  mind  is 
engaged  in  planning  his  mode  of  proceeding.  He  will  hunt  the 
Christians  out  of  every  retreat ;  he  will  give  them  no  quarter ; 
he  will  listen  to  no  appeal  for  mercy ;  and  will  not  be  satisfied 
till  the  last  follower  of  Jesus  has  perished  from  the  earth. 
With  knit  brow  and  flashing  eye  he  presses  his  way  forward, 
till  at  last  the  domes  of  the  city  break  upon  his  view. 

But  what  means  this  !  His  horse  recoils  and  the  young 
leader  falls  to  the  earth.  The  whole  company  are  thrown  into 
confusion.  They  are  brave  and  are  accustomed  to  fight  with 
dauntless  courage;  but  this  is  a  case  in  which  swords  and 
bravery  are  of  no  use.  A  light  from  heaven  above  the  bright- 
ness of  the  sun,  has  blazed  around  them ;  and  a  voice  of 
thrilling  power  addresses  the  leader,  "  Saul,  Saul,  why  perse- 
cutest  thou  me. ^"  His  followers  hear  the  voice,  but  do  not 
see  the  majestic  form  that  appears  to  him,  and  kindly  reasons 
with  him.  What  a  change  has  taken  place  in  a  few  moments ! 
His  plans  of  vengeance  are  all  given  up,  his  bigotry  and 
prejudice  against  Christians,  his  hatred  to  the  name  of  Jesus, 
all   have   disappeared ;  the  hands   that   grasped  the  sword  of 


344  THE    WORLD  S    HOPE. 

persecution  are  now  lifted  to  heaven  in  supplication  ;  and  he 
who  was  to  have  proudly  entered  yonder  city  as  a  conqueror, 
is  led  into  it  blind  and  helpless. 

When  Saul,  from  his  prostrated  position  on  the  earth,  asked, 
"Who  art  thou,  Lord.?"  and  got  back  the  answer,  "I  am 
Jesus,  whom  thou  persecutest,"  he  must  have  been  cut  to  the 
heart  Vv^ith  deepest  contrition.  That  all  this  time  when  he 
thought  that  he  was  doing  God's  service,  he  was  persecuting 
the  only  Savior  of  the  world,  and  that  he  was  now  speaking 
to  him  so  tenderly  when  he  might  have  crushed  him  with  the 
thunderbolts  of  his  power,  must  have  filled  him  with  self- 
abhorrence.  Every  blow  that  he  had  given  the  cause  of  truth 
was  now  rebounding  upon  his  own  heart.  From  a  lethargy 
long  and  death-like,  his  conscience  has  sprung  up  into  self- 
accusing  energy ;  and  all  that  he  was  so  proud  of  before  he  is 
now  heartily  ashamed  of.  An  entire  revolution  takes  place  in 
his  soul.  He  becomes  a  new  creature  in  Christ.  What  he 
called  right  before  he  now  hates  as  a  vile  wrong.  What  he 
before  called  truth  he  now  sees  to  be  damnable  error.  He 
now  prays  for  the  first  time,  though  he  had  been  saying  prayers 
all  his  life.  The  lion  has  become  a  Iamb,  the  vulture  a  dove ; 
it  is  the  Lord's  doings  and  wondrous  in  our  eyes.  This  was 
a  brand  plucked  out  of  the  burning,  and  should  teach  us  never 
to  despair  of  any  sinner,  however  far  he  may  have  gone  in  sin. 
God  can  snatch  the  prey  from  the  mighty,  and  make  one  who 
seemed  helplessly  toppling  on  the  brink  of  hell  the  mightiest 
instrument  of  good  to  souls  that  God  ever  honored. 

At  this  time  Paul's  soul  passed  through  a  deep  law  work, 
such  as  he  afterwards  describes  in  his  writings.  He  had  been 
a  proud  Pharisee  before,  thinking  that  he  had  kept  the  law  of 
God  perfectly,  because  he  had  not  committed  outwardly  the 
acts  of  sin  which  it  condemns.  Now  he  felt  that  the  law  reached 
to  the  feelings  and  emotions  of  his  corrupt  heart,  and  that  he 
had,  in  that  view  of  the  matter,  been  breaking  this  holy  law 
every  moment  of  his  God-dishonoring  life.  Thus  he  tells  us 
that  when  the  commandment  came  to  him  in  this  sense,  sin 
revived  and  he  died.     His  whole  life  was  now  seen  to  be  sin, 


PAUL,    THE    APOSTLE    OF    THE    GENTILES.  345 

and  all  his  former  proud  hopes  of  his  own  goodness  died  within 
him.  All  dependence  on  himself  for  salvation  failed  ;  he  saw 
himself  the  chief  of  sinners;  and  he  was  glad  to  go  to 
Jesus,  all  lost  and  guilty  as  he  wa:^,  for  pardon  and  righteous- 
ness. 

It  must  have  been  a  hard  struggle  to  give  up  all  his  own 
fancied  goodness,  and  to  be  saved  alone  by  grace.  It  is 
always  so  with  these  haughty  Pharisees.  The  thief  on  the 
cross,  and  persons  of  that  stamp,  who  know  they  have  no 
goodness  of  their  own  to  depend  upon,  will  come  to  Jesus  at 
once ;  while  those  who  have  lived  a  moral  life,  will  keep  look- 
ing to  their  good  deeds,  and  balancing  their  good  works 
against  their  bad  ones,  rejecting  Christ,  and  alternating 
between  hope  and  fear,  for  months  and  even  years. 

A  gentleman  tells  us  of  a  conversation  which  he  had  with  an 
old  lady,  on  her  death-bed,  which  throws  light  on  this  subject. 
She  acknowledged  that  she  had,  notwithstanding  her  moral 
life,  no  knowledge  of  her  acceptance  with  God,  or  of  the  par- 
don of  her  sins;  but  she  said  that  we  are  sure  to  get  it  if  we 
are  only  earnest  enough.  The  gentleman  asked  her  if  she 
was  to  go  to  the  bank  and  ask  for  twenty  pounds  very  ear- 
nestly, would  the  banker  be  likely  to  give  it  to  her.?  She 
acknowledged  that  inasfar  as  she  had  no  money  laid  up  in  the 
bank,  and  therefore  no  right  to  plead,  her  earnestness  would 
not  help  her.  The  banker  was  there  to  do  what  was  right, 
and  would  only  give  money  to  those  who  had  a  right  to 
receive  it. 

The  gentleman  then  said,  "  Suppose  that  you  know  a  kind 
and  wealthy  gentleman  who  has  plenty  of  money  in  this  bank, 
and  who,  besides,  is  interested  in  you.  Well,  suppose  you  go  to 
him  and  tell  him  your  need,  and,  after  he  has  heard  you  out, 
he  smiles  and  says,  '  Now  you  have  done  me  the  greatest  favor 
you  could  have  done  me,  for  I  feel  it  such  a  pleasure  to  help 
you.'  And  so  saying  he  fills  up  an  order  out  of  his  bank-book 
instructing  the  banker  to  pay  you  twenty  pounds  on  demand, 
and  to  charge  the  same  to  his  account.  Now  what  would  yoa 
do  with  that  little  bit  of  paper  that  he  gave  you  ?  " 


346  THE    world's    hope. 

"I  would  take  it  to  the  bank  and  get  the  money,"    she  said. 

"  But  would  you  not  need  to  ask  for  the  money  very  ear- 
nestly ?  " 

"  No,  no,"  she  replied,  "  the  bit  of  paper  would  be  plenty  of 
itself." 

"Yes,  certainly,  everything  depends  on  that  bit  of  paper, 
and  the  naine  that  is  written  on  it.  If  you  take  the  paper 
with  you,  you  will  at  once  get  the  money  for  the  sake  of  him 
whose  name  is  written  at  the  bottom  of  it ;  but  if  you  go  with- 
out the  paper,  all  your  earnest  asking  will  be  quite  useless, 
and  why  .^  Because  it  would  not  be  right  in  the  banker  to  give 
it  to  you.  The  banker,  you  see,  will  give  you  nothing  for  your 
own  sake,  but  he  will  give  you  any  amount  your  friend  pleases, 
for  your  friend's  sake." 

"And  now,"  he  continued,  "I  wish  you  to  attend  very 
carefully  to  the  application  of  this  little  parable  to  the  subject 
we  were  speaking  about.  Do  you  know  that  you  have  nothing 
at  all  in  God's  bank,  and  that  it  is  quite  out  of  the  question 
for  you  to  expect  such  great  blessings  as  forgiveness  of  sins, 
and  such  like,  when  you  ask  them  in  your  name,  however  ear- 
nest you  may  ask  ?  Ah,  my  friend,  your  name  has  as  little 
weight  in  God's  bank  as  it  has  in  man's  bank.  Now,  it  is  a 
blessed  fact  that  God  is  willing  to  give  to  the  sinner — nay, 
that  he  delights  in  giving ;  but  then  he  will  give  us  only  in  a 
way  that  is  just  and  righteous.  In  order  that  there  might  be 
such  a  way  for  God  to  forgive  our  sins,  and  to  bless  ourselves, 
he  sent  his  beloved  Son  to  bear  our  sins  himself,  and  thus  to 
become  the  Author  of  eternal  salvation  to  all  who  believe  in 
his  name.  And  now,  since  the  Lord  Jesus  has  done  all  this, 
God  is  quite  ready  to  pardon  and  to  bless  any  sinner  at  once ; 
but  it  must  be  clearly  understood,  that  what  he  gives  us  he 
gives  us  only  for  Jesus'  sake  and  not  for  our  oivn.  Now,  you 
have  been  all  along  completely  setting  aside  the  name  of 
the  Lord  Jesus ;  and  when  you  did  go  to  ask  anything  from 
God  you  have  been  expecting  to  get  it,  not  for  Christ's  sake, 
but  for  the  sake  of  your  earnest  praying." 

This  simple  explanation  of  the   plan  of  salvation,  under  the 


'  PAUL,    THE    APOSTLE    OF    THE    GENTILES.  347 

Divine  blessing  caused  the  light  to  break  in  upon  the  mind  of 
the  inquirer.  It  is  the  same  truth  that  converted  Paul,  and 
which,  alone  can  save  any  one,  for  under  heaven  or  among 
men,  there  is  no  salvation  but  in  the  name  of  Jesus,  Vv'hen 
the  light  of  God's  law  is  flashing  upon  the  conscience,  it  is 
only  like  the  light  of  day  being  let  in  upon  a  dark  and  loath- 
some dungeon ;  it  makes  the  prisoner  feel  worse  than  before, 
for  it  lets  him  see  disgusting  sights  that  the  darkness  hid  from 
him.  Light  coming  to  us  through  the  law,  only  enables  us  to 
see  our  vileness  and  to  read  our  sentence  of  death  pronounced 
upon  us.  But  light  coming  from  God  to  us  through  the  cross, 
brings  comfort  and  peace  and  joy;  because  it  tells  us  of  God 
both  as  the  just  Law-giver,  and  the  Savior;  and  hence  Paul 
said,  "  The  law  was  our  schoolmaster  to  bring  us  to  Christ, 
that  we  might  be  justified  by  faith." 

The  great  obstacle  in  the  way  of  the  sinner  coming  to  God, 
when  his  conscience  is  awakened,  is  the  sight  of  his  sins — 
formerly  he  made  light  of  his  sins ;  they  were  but  a  trifle — 
now  he  cries,  "  I  have  sinned  beyond  the  hope  of  mercy." 
Before  he  could  not  be  induced  to  fear,  now  '  cannot 
be  persuaded  to  hope.  See  Paul  sitting  in  darkness  and 
distress  for  three  days.  He  cannot  sleep,  he  cannot  eat. 
Oh  how  vile  his  past  life  appears !  Only  a  short  time  before 
he  thought  himself  a  very  pious  man;  now  he  feels  that 
he  is  the  worst  man  in  the  whole  world.  But  hark !  there 
is  a  footstep  at  the  door.  It  is  a  messenger  sent  by  God 
to  comfort  him.  He  tells  him  of  the  blood  that  cleanses  from 
all  sin,  restores  his  sight,  and  the  new  convert,  being  filled  with 
the  Holy  Spirit,  goes  forth  to  begin  to  work  for  Jesus,  who  hag 
done  so  much  for  him.  He  conferred  not  with  flesh  and  blood. 
Being  baptised  and  added  to  the  church,  and  having  been 
called  to  the  work  of  an  apostle,  he  at  once  began  to  preach 
the  faith  which  once  he  destroyed.  The  tongue  of  him  who 
blasphemed  the  name  of  Jesus,  is  now  eloquent  in  his  praise, 
and  glories  in  no  other.  Jiov/  can  we  account  for  such  a 
mighty  change  ?  It  was  not  the  result  of  delusion  or  imagin- 
ation ;  nor  could  it  be  a  desire  for  honor,  nor  wealth,  nor  power, 


348  THE  world's  hope. 

that  induced  him  to  make  a  mere  profession  of  such  a  change, 
for  he  had  to  give  up  all  these  things  in  becoming  a  follower 
of  Jesus.  No,  it  was  the  power  of  God  through  the  gospeJ 
that  alone  did  it.  And  that  same  power  still  goes  forth  in  its 
transforming  energy,  subduing  the  hardest  hearts  to  the  love 
of  Christ. 

Paul's  cry  had  been,  *'Lord  what  wouldst  thou  have  me  to 
do }  "  When  he  got  an  answer  to  this  question,  he  imme- 
diately proceeded  to  do  what  was  required  of  him.  He  did 
not  ask  for  light  only  to  disobey  its  requirements.  Fast  as  the 
Lord  said  to  him,  "  This  is  the  way,"  he  was  ready  to  walk  in 
it.  He  did  not  think  that  his  whole  duty  was  done  when  he 
uttered  the  prayer;  but  was  diligent  in  finding  out  the  Lord's 
will,  and  equally  so  in  doing  it.  There  are  many  who  uttef 
such  a  prayer  who  refuse  to  do  what  the  Lord  points  out  be- 
cause  it  is  disagreeable  to  their  natural  feelings.  This  is  dis- 
honest praying.  When  we  ask  any  thing  of  God  we  must  be 
willing  to  have  him  answer  it  in  his  own  way.  He  is  infinitely 
wise  and  good,  and  his  way  of  answering  must  be  for  our  best 
good,  in  the  end.  When  Paul  followed  out  what  the  Lord 
w^ould  have  him  to  do,  it  led  him  into  great  and  peculiai 
trials.  It  led  him  into  prison,  and  relentless  persecutions,  and 
personal  sufferings,  the  mere  recital  of  which  causes  our  souls 
to  shudder  within  us.  So  we  often  ask  the  Lord  to  make  us 
holy  and  heavenly  minded,  and  he  answers  us  in  a  way  that 
fills  us  with  alarm,  and  looks  more  like  judgments  than  lov- 
ing answers  to  our  supplications.  By  the  death  of  friends,  by 
the  loss  of  property,  by  sickness  and  pain,  and  by  other  unex- 
pected ways,  God  seeks  to  loose  us  from  the  world  and  draw  us 
nearer  to  himself.     "  Be  still  and  know  that  I  am  God.' 

After  his  conversion,  Paul  lost  no  time  in  preaching  Christ 
to  the  souls  around  him.  He  began  in  Damascus,  where  he 
continued  for  three  years,  excepting  a  short  time  spent  in  re- 
tirement in  Arabia.  He  felt  a  strong  solicitude  for  the  souls 
of  his  own  countrymen,  the  Jews,  and  poured  out  his  prayers 
for  their  salvation  with  intense  earnestness.  With  unremitting 
zeal,  and  untiring  fidelity,  he  presents  to  their  minds  the  gos^ 


PAUL,    THE    APOSTLE    OF    THE    GENTILES.  349 

pel  of  the  grace  of  God  in  their  synagogues  and  other  places 
of  public  resort.  In  season  and  out  of  season,  in  public  and 
in  private,  whether  they  would  hear  or  forbear,  he  fails  not, 
night  and  day  with  tears,  to  warn  them  of  coming  wrath  if  they 
continued  in  unbelief,  and  with  all  the  tenderness  of  love  to 
invite  them  to  Jesus. 

This  love  to  souls  is  a  common  characteristic  of  converts  to 
Jesus.  So  much  is  this  the  case,  that  if  a  man  or  woman  pro- 
fesses to  have  come  to  the  Savior,  and  yet  does  not  at  once 
begin  to  pray  and  to  labor  for  the  salvation  of  souls,  especially 
for  that  of  their  own  kindred,  it  is  a  sure  sign  that  such  a  person 
is  deceived  or  deceiving.  It  is  true  there  are  degrees  in  this 
love  to  souls  according  to  the  faith  of  the  person  converted. 
When  it  rises  to  a  high  degree  of  fervor,  so  as  to  become  a 
ruling  passion  of  the  mind,  it  indicates  a  high  state  of  piety. 
This  was  tlie  case  with  Paul ;  with  him  it  swayed  and  con- 
trolled his  whole  nature.  He  had  a  passion  for  souls.  Most 
persons  have  a  wish  to  obtain  money  because  of  what  it  can 
obtain,  or  of  the  good  that  can  be  done  with  it ;  but  the  miser 
has  a  controlling  passion  for  it.  His  whole  soul  is  given  up  to 
it.  He  loves  to  look  at  it,  to  count  it  over  and  to  add  to  his 
heap  day  by  day.  So,  in  like  manner,  all  Christians  wish  to 
see  souls  saved ;  for  this  they  pray  and  labor  to  some  extent. 
But  there  has  always  been  a  few  choice  spirits — a  few  elect 
souls  of  our  race,  whose  love  t®  souls  has  been  so  great  as  to 
cast  all  the  common  feelings  and  efforts  of  their  fellow  disci- 
ples far  into  the  shade.  Such  was  Paul.  He  had  great  sorrow 
and  heaviness  of  heart  for  those  yet  in  their  sins.  A  whole 
city  given  over  to  idolatry  stirred  his  soul  to  its  very  depth 
and  brought  forth  from  him  an  appeal  so  eloquent  in  its  ear- 
nestness that  it  has  moved  the  souls  of  men  all  the  way  down 
through  the  ages  till  the  present  hour. 

The  love  of  such  men  to  the  souls  of  the  perishing  gives  us 
a  very  touching  proof  of  the  love  of  God.  It  is  a  little  of  his 
Spirit  that  produced  such  love  for  souls  in  the  hearts  of  Paul, 
Luther,  Calvin,  Whitfield,  Wesley,  Carey,  Judson,  and  hun- 
dreds of  others;  and  if  a  little  of  God's  Spirit  produces  such 


350  THE    WORLD  S    HOPE. 

love  for  sinners,  O  how  great  must  be  the  love  that  dwells  in 
the  Divine  bosom  from  whence  that  little  flows  forth.  It  is 
but  a  very  little  of  God's  spirit  that  the  human  heart  can  con- 
tain. One  to  whom  God  imparted  much  of  himself,  cried  out, 
"Lord,  stay  thy  hand;  thy  frail  vessel  can  hold  no  more." 
More  would  have  consumed  the  body  of  clay.  How  great 
then,  is  Infinite  Love!  God  only  knows  the  love  of  God." 
Only  an  infinite  mind  can  lathom  the  infinite;  well,  therefore, 
might  it  be  said  of  the  Divine  Love,  that  it  "  passeth  knowl- 
edge." Still,  we  can  know  enough  of  it  to  change  the  heart 
from  its  natural  enmity,  to  fill  it  with  the  confidence  of  faith, 
and  to  impart  the  peace  that  passeth  all  understanding. 

Before  leaving  the  subject  of  Paul's  change  of  heart  we  must 
notice  the  full  assurance  of  his  faith.  From  the  first  moment 
of  his  receiving  the  Lord  Jesus,  till  that  moment  when  he  laid 
his  head  on  the  block,  he  never  seems  to  have  had  a  doubt  of 
his  acceptance  vath  God.  He  feels  deeply  his  inward  cor- 
ruption of  heart — the  remains  of  sin  yet  unsubdued ;  he  speaks 
strongly  of  his  former  sinful  course,  calling  himself  the  chief 
of  sinners,  the  least  of  all  saints,  and  not  worthy  to  be  called 
an  apostle ;  but  never  does  he  doubt  the  love  of  the  Savior 
who  called  him  by  his  grace.  His  language  is  always  that  of 
the  confidence  of  faith.  "  He  loved  w^,  and  gave  himself  for 
me.'"  "I  know  in  whom  I  have  believed."  He  does  not  live 
under  a  cloud  of  doubt,  groping  about  amid  clouds  of  uncer- 
tainty, writing  bitter  things  against  himself,  and  uttering  a 
whine  of  fear  for  his  future,  instead  of  a  strong,  joyous  shout 
of  gospel  gladness.  Such  is  dishonoring  to  God  and  to  our 
holy  religion ;  and  more  likely  to  send  men  into  the  gloom  of 
monks'  cells  or  hermits'  caves,  than  out  into  the  world  with  the 
glowing,  healthy  love  of  a  true  Christian  philanthropy. 

The  love  of  Christ  was  the  grand  constraining  power  that 
governed  him,  and  all  his  movements  among  men  were  made 
that  he  "  might  save  some."  This  gives  a  certain  unity  and 
purpose  to  all  he  does  and  says,  that  delights  and  charms  us 
as  we  study  his  history.  Whether  we  see  him  making  tents,  or 
standing  before  kings  and  making  them   tremble  before  his 


PAUL,    THE    APOSTLE    OF    THE    GENTILES.  35 1 

manly  appeals  and  impassioned  eloquence,  he  is  always  the 
same. 

Into  whatever  company  he  is  thrown,  he  shows  himself  a 
master  spirit.  In  circumstances  that  would  depress  others  his 
brave  heart  is  cheerful,  and  always  rises  to  the  necessities  of 
the  occasion.  Whether  standing  on  the  deck  of  a  ship  swept 
by  a  tempest  and  drifting  on  a  lee  shore,  or  standing  on  Mars 
Hill  surrounded  by  the  philosophers  and  critics  of  the  age,  he 
is  equally  calm  and  self-possessed.  There  is  a  noble  inde- 
pendence about  him  that  makes  him  stand  up  before  the  profli- 
gate Agrippa  and  persecuting  Roman  officers  as  their  judge 
Tather  than  one  put  upon  trial ;  shaking  his  chains  proudly  as 
badges  of  honor,  and  making  wickedness  and  oppression  shrink 
and  tremble  before  the  glance  of  his  eye.  And  there  was 
nothing  either  cynical  or  stoic  in  his  nature.  A  more  tender 
heart,  and  one  more  susceptible  to  the  warm  glow  of  friend- 
ship never  beat  in  human  bosom.  A  cold  nature  may  be 
respected  or  feared,  but  seldom  loved ;  but  Paul  drew  warm 
hearts  around  him  wherever  he  went — hearts  that  would  have 
shed  their  blood  for  his  welfare.  We  see  the  proof  of  this  in 
the  many  scenes  of  parting  tenderness  recorded  in  the  history 
of  his  missionary  journeys  and  in  his  own  words  to  his  weep- 
ing friends,  "  What  mean  ye  to  weep  and  to  break  my  heart  ?" 

The  labors  of  this  great  missionary  of  the  Cross  were 
brought  to  a  close  in  Damascus,  by  a  conspiracy  among  the 
Jews  to  take  his  life.  He  was  no  fanatic ;  he  did  not  court 
danger  nor  unnecessarily  expose  his  life  to  peril.  He  remem- 
bered the  precept  of  our  Lord,  "When  they  persecute  you 
in  one  city,  flee  ye  to  another."  Let  down  over  the  wall  of 
the  city  in  a  basket,  in  the  darkness  of  the  night,  he  escaped 
from  his  enimies,  and  went  to  Jerusalem  to  form  the  acquaint- 
ance and  enjoy  the  fellowship  of  the  Christians  in  that  city. 
The  brethren  there  were  somewhat  shy  in  receiving  him.  They 
well  remembered  his  former  mad  career  of  blood-thirsty 
vengeance ;  and  perhaps  not  having  received  any  satisfactory 
account  of  his  conversion  they  were  disposed  to  look  coldly  on 
his  professions.     We    gften  pray  for  the  conversion  of  great 


352  TOE    WORLDS    HOPE, 

sinners,  and  when  God  hears  our  prayers  in  this  respect  we 
find  it  hard  to  believe  that  he  has  really  done  so.  Barnabas 
related  to  the  brethren  what  the  Lord  had  done  for  Paul,  when 
he  was  cordially  received  by  the  church  as  a  brother  beloved. 

His  intercourse  with  them  was  of  short  duration.  Persecu- 
tion drove  him  from  their  improving  society  to  Tarsus,  his 
native  city.  Here  he  labored  diligently  in  preaching  the  gos- 
pel, but  with  what  success  we  are  not  told.  At  length  Barna- 
bas took  him  to  Antioch,  the  capital  of  Syria,  where  they 
labored  together  for  a  year  with  great  success.  A  large  church 
was  here  gathered,  and  here  it  was  that  the  word  so  dear  to 
our  hearts  was  first  used  to  designate  the  people  of  God.  The 
disciples  of  Jesus  were  first  called,  by  way  of  reproach.  Christ- 
ians by  the  people  of  this  city.  Little  did  the  man  think  who 
first  used  it,  that  it  would  become  the  most  honored  name  on 
earth ;  and  that  in  the  great  day  of  account,  when  all  worldly 
titles  shall  be  of  no  avail,  this  name  properly  applied  to  any 
one,  will  be  a  passport  to  immortal  glory. 

From  this  place  Paul  and  Barnabas  went  forth  upon  a  long 
missionary  tour,  after  being  set  apart  to  the  work  by  solemn 
prayer  and  fasting  by  the  whole  church.  They  arrived  at 
another  Antioch,  a  large  city  in  Pisidia,  where  was  a  Jewish 
Synagogue,  in  which  Paul  delivered  one  of  his  most  notable 
discourses. 

As  this  is  the  first  of  his  addresses  of  which  we  have  any 
extended  report,  let  us  dwell  for  a  moment  on  its  chief  points. 
And  first  we  are  struck  with  its  appropriateness.  Spoken  to  a 
Jewish  audience,  it  at  once  secured  their  attention  by  recount- 
ing the  dealings  of  God  with  their  fathers ;  and  sought  their 
spiritual  profit  by  a  most  skillful  application  of  these  historical 
facts  to  their  present  condition.  With  an  affectionate  man- 
ner, and  in  a  way  least  likely  to  give  offence,  he  introduces  the 
saving  doctrines  of  the  cross.  Then  comes  a  direct  personal 
appeal,  and  that  faithful  application  of  the  truth  to  the  con- 
science, without  which  the  most  eloquent  sermon  is  only  like 
flourishing  a  sword,  without  edge  or  point.  He  tells  them  that 
salvation  by  Jesus,  is  now  brought  very  near  to  them  :  "  Unto 


353 

you  is  the  word  of  this  salvation  sent."  The  forgiveness  of 
sin  is  oftered  them  by  faith  in  the  blood  shed  on  Calvary  ;  and 
they  are  told  of  the  utter  impossibility  of  being  justified  by 
the  deeds  of  the  law.  In  closing  up  he  tells  them  that  the 
blessings  of  the  gospel  are  for  all,  without  distinction,  whether 
Jews  or  Gentiles.  (See  Acts  xiii :  38,  39.)  In  this  discourse  the 
apostle  shows  not  only  the  skill  of  the  orator  but  the  faithful- 
ness to  souls  and  the  whole  hearted  earnestness  of  the  true 
minister  of  Jesus  Christ.  There  is  nothing  unnecessary  said, 
and  nothing  left  out  essential  to  the  salvation  of  his  hearers. 

This  discourse,  of  which  we  have  only  an  out-line,  was 
intended  to  be  introductory  to  others,  in  which  the  truth  as  it 
is  in  Jesus  would  be  more  fully  set  forth.  Earnest  inquiry 
was  awakened  and  a  desire  expressed  for  more  instruction  on 
the  great  gospel  themes.  It  is  worthy  of  notice,  that  this  re- 
quest came  chiefly  from  the  heathen  portion  of  the  hearers. 
The  Jews  who  had  been  greatly  favored  of  heaven,  to  whom 
the  oracles  of  truth  had  been  committed,  and  to  whom  in  the 
first  place  the  Savior  had  come,  organized  a  strong  opposition 
against  the  truth ;  so  that  next  Sabbath,  when  the  people  came 
together  in  great  numbers  to  hear  Paul,  these  Jews  ''  contra- 
dicted and  blasphemed,"  and  got  up  a  furious  persecution. 
The  apostles  met  this  emergency  with  great  boldness  and 
promptitude,  and  turning  to  the  Jews,  said,  "It  was  necessary 
that  the  word  of  God  should  first  have  been  spoken  to  you  ; 
but  seeing  ye  put  it  from  you,  and  judge  yourselves  unworthy 
of  everlasting  life,  lo  !  we  turn  to  the  Gentiles."  And  shaking 
off  the  dust  of  their  feet  as  a  testimony  against  them,  they 
departed  from  the  place.  Paul  swung  loose  from  all  the  prej- 
udices that  might  bind  him  to  any  one  people  or  nation,  and 
felt  that  the  whole  world  was  his  parish  ;  and  that  obligation 
was  laid  upon  him  to  preach  the  gospel  to  the  whole  human 
race,  as  opportunity  offered. 

We  cannot  follow  the  great  apostle  through  all  his  labors. 
We  have  seen  him  last  among  his  own  countrymen ;  let  us  now 
see  him  among  the  heathen.  We  see  him  enter  Lystra  as  one 
earnestly  desiring  the  good,  both  temporal  and  spiritual,  of 


354  THE    WORLD  S    HOPE. 

the  whole  family  of  man.  He  felt  himself  as  acting  under  the 
commission  of  Jehovah,  as  laid  under  obligations  to  preach 
the  gospel  to  every  creature ;  and  hence  he  ignored  all  lines  of 
distinction  between  tribes  and  nations  and  races  of  people  ; 
and  in  his  own  emphatic  words,  he  felt  himself  "  a  debtor  both 
to  the  Greeks  and  to  the  barbarians ;  both  to  the  wise  and  to 
the  unwise." 

In  Lystra,  Paul's  first  act  awoke  the  attention,  nay,  the  en- 
thusiasm of  the  whole  population.  In  the  name  and  by  the 
power  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  he  caused  a  man  to  walk  who  had 
been  lame  from  his  birth.  This  ignorant  and  benighted  people 
gazed  in  wonder  upon  the  apostles,  and  thought  that  the  gods, 
according  to  their  heathen  notions,  had  come  down  in  the  form 
of  men.  Under  this  impression  they  were  proceeding  to  offer 
them  worship,  the  priest  of  Jupiter  bringing  forth  victims  to 
be  sacrificed ;  when  the  apostles,  filled  with  horror,  rushed  out 
among  the  people,  exclaiming  against  the  wickedness  about  to 
be  done  and  assuring  the  people  that  they  were  only  men, 
with  all  the  common  passions  and  imperfections  of  other  men. 

The  remarks  here  made  were  adapted  to  the  people.  He 
does  not  begin  by  appealing  to  the  sacred  Scriptures,  as  he 
did  when  addressing  the  Jews ;  for  of  these  they  knew  noth- 
ing. He  bade  them  look  at  the  book  of  creation,  and  to  the 
great  law  of  conscience  written  within  them  by  the  finger  of 
God.  He  sought  to  lead  them  to  God  as  the  bountiful  pro- 
vider of  all  the  blessings  they  enjoyed,  and  to  turn  them  from 
their  lying  vanities  to  the  Lord  of  heaven  and  of  earth.  We 
see  how  it  was  that  this  apostle  became  "  all  things  unto  all 
men,"  in  order  that  he  might  save  their  souls. 

Alas !  how  uncertain  is  the  breath  of  human  applause. 
Some  persecuting  Jews  got  among  the  people,  and  so  poisoned 
their  minds  against  Paul,  that  the  very  multitude  that  were 
going  to  worship  him  but  a  little  before,  now  began  to  stone 
him;  and  dragging  him  out  of  their  city,  left  him  for  dead. 
Dead  he  was  not,  however,  for  God  had  more  work  for  him  to 
do ;  and  while  some  of  the  disciples  stood  sorroufully  around 
him,  his  consciousness  returned,  and  he  went  back  with  them 


PAUL,    THE    APOSTLE    OF    THE    GENTILES.  ^cjgj- 

into  the  city.  In  a  short  time  we  again  find  him  in  his  Master's 
service,— work  from  which  no  terrors  of  earth  or  hell  could 
turn  him  aside. 


356  THE    WORLD'S    HOPE. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 
PAUL,  THE  APOSTLE  OF  THE  GENTILES.     [Contintted.] 

Passing  by  many  events  of  interest  in  the  labors  and  travels 
of  the  great  apostle,  let  us  see  him  in  Philippi,  laboring  in 
word  and  doctrine  with  great  zeal.  Under  his  labors  many 
souls  had  been  saved,  churches  planted  and  built  up  in  the 
faith  of  the  gospel.  Guided  by  the  Holy  Spirit  he  had  trav- 
ersed a  large  part  of  Asia,  till  by  means  of  a  very  solemn 
call  he  was  led  to  cross  into  Europe  and  proclaim  the  good 
news  in  Macedonia. 

At  Philippi  some  remarkable  events  occurred.  At  a  certain 
place  set  apart  for  prayer,  and  where  many  women  were 
assembled,  Paul  preached  the  Gospel,  and  one  of  his  hearers 
was  brought  to  Jesus,  proving  the  beginning  of  a  large  and 
flourishing  church.  The  Lord  opened  Lydia's  heart  so  that 
she  attended  to  the  things  spoken  by  the  messenger  of  heaven. 
She  first  became  an  eager  hearer,  and  then  a  true  believer; 
for  "faith  cometh  by  hearing."  Others  heard  the  same  words 
spoken,  but  they  let  them  pass  as  the  idle  wind,  while  she 
received  the  truth  into  an  honest  heart,  and  became  an  inher- 
itor of  eternal  life.  And,  not  only  was  she  personally  blessed, 
but  a  most  precious  blessing. was  brought  through  her  to  the 
members  of  her  household.  We  do  not  know  their  numbers 
nor  their  ages ;  we  only  know  that  they  were  old  enough  to 
believe  in  Jesus,  and  to  make  an  intelligent  profession  of  that 
faith  by  being  baptized,  according  to  the  Lord's  command. 

There  was  here  a  damsel  who  was  possessed  of  a  demon. 
She  professed  to  have  the  power  of  divination,  and,  being  a 
slave,  brought  her  owners  great  gain.  She  followed  Paul  and 
his  fellow-laborers  with  words  of  high  approval,  declaring  pub- 
licly that  they  were  the  true  servants  of  the  living  God.  This 
was  a  cunning  trick  of  the  devil.    He  wished  to  make  it  appear 


PAUL,    THE    APOSTLE    OF    THE    GENTILES. 


357 


to  the  multitude,  that  the  apostles  were  in  league  with  this 
impostor,  so  that  discredit  might  be  brought  upon  the  gospel. 
Paul  defeated  this  design  by  commanding  the  evil  spirit  to 
come  out  of  her.  This  was  an  unexpected  blow  to  those  who 
had  reaped  large  pecuniary  profits  from  her  deceptions;  and 
filled'with  rage,  they  stirred  up  the  populace  against  the  heralds 
of  the  gospel.  For  a  mob  to  act  unreasonably  and  unjustly  does 
not  surprise  us ;  it  is  what  we  expect.  But  in  this  case  the 
magistrates  treated  them  basely.  They  condemned  them  with- 
out a  fair  trial,  they  caused  them  to  be  severely  scourged,  and 
with  their  bodies  bleeding,  casting  them  into  a  loathsome 
prison,  had  their  feet  made  fast  in  the  stocks.  We  might  expect 
that  under  these  circumstances  the  servants  of  the  Lord  would 
have  been  much  depressed  ;  but  instead  of  that,  they  make  the 
prison  ring  with  their  songs  of  praise  to  God  and  the  Lamb. 
Our  Lord  told  his  followers  that  when  persecuted  for  his  sake, 
they  should  "  rejoice  and  be  exceeding  glad ;  "  and  here  was 
an  illustration  of  this  truth.  All  was  discomfort  without  them, 
but  all  was  peace  within.  Into  that  prison  they  carried  two 
blessings  that  never  fail  to  make  their  possessors  happy — a 
good  conscience,  and  the  favor  of  God.  With  these,  if  it  were 
possible  for  a  man  to  go  to  hell  itself,  it  would  be  a  heaven  to 
him. 

The  apostles  sang  praises  and  the  prisoners  heard  them. 
The  God  of  heaven  also  heard  them,  and  appeared  for  their 
deliverance.  An  earthquake  comes  rumbling  through  the 
deep  foundations  of  nature,  shakes  the  prison  to  its  found- 
ation, while  the  jailor,  aroused  suddenly  out  of  his  sleep,  and 
seeing  the  prison  doors  open,  drew  his  sword  and  was  about 
to  kill  himself,  because  he  supposed  the  prisoners  had  all 
escaped.  But  Paul  arrested  his  wicked  design  by  crying  with 
a  loud  voice,  "Do  thyself  no  harm;  for  we  are  all  here." 
Then,  after  procuring  a  light,  he  came  trembling,  before  them, 
with  the  words,  which  have  broken  from  many  a  heart  pierced 
by  the  sword  of  the  Spirit,  "  What  must  I  do  to  be  saved  ?  " 
Truly  the  most  important  question  ever  uttered  by  human  lips  ; 
and  he  has  come  to  the  right  quarter  for  an  answer.     He  might 


35^  THE  world's  hope. 

have  gone  to  all  the  most  brilliant  orators  and  philosophers  of 
Greece  and  Rome,  and  none  of  them  could  have  given  a  reply, 
that  would  at  once  satisfy  the  deep  spiritual  wants  of  the  soul, 
and  at  the  same  time  be  pleasing  to  God.  But  the  answer 
given  was  beautiful  in  its  heavenly  simplicity  :  "  Believe  on  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  thou  shalt  be  saved." 

This  man  became  a  true  convert.  He  brought  the  apostles 
out  of  their  confined  and  painful  condition,  washed  their  bleed- 
ing bodies,  and  set  before  them  needed  refreshment.  He  also 
obeyed  the  Lord  in  the  ordinance  of  baptism,  in  which  he  was 
joined  by  the  members  of  his  household,  they  also  having  joy- 
fully received  the  truth. 

And  here  we  cannot  but  admire  the  wonderful  simplicity  of 
the  gospel.  Here  is  a  man  but  a  few  moments  before  a  hard- 
ened sinner,  now  a  child  of  God.  He  felt  himself  a  sinner,  he 
wanted  to  be  saved,  and  wanted  to  know  how  this  could  be 
done.  He  is  sent  upon  no  long  pilgrimage  ;  no  severe  penances 
are  appointed  him  to  endure ;  no  methods  of  making  himself 
better  are  spoken  of;  no  long  course  of  deep  convictions  and 
terrors,  a  kind  of  mental  purgatory,  are  said  to  be  necessary 
to  fit  him  for  Christ.  No.  Just  as  he  is,  without  one  moment's 
delay,  he  is  told  to  believe  in  Christ  as  his  Savior.  The  result 
was  that  there  and  then  he  obtained  the  pardon  of  his  sins,  and 
was  received  for  Jesus'  sake  into  the  favor  of  God.  He  was 
not  merely  hoping  to  be  saved  when  he  came  to  die,  but  he 
knew  that  he  was  a  saved  man  now.  "  He  that  believeth  on  the 
Son  of  God  hath  life;"  and  that  life  is  eternal.  It  can  never 
be  taken  from  him.  "  I  give  unto  them  eternal  life,  and  they 
shall  never  perish." 

If  Jesus  has  revealed  himself  as  a  Savior,  that  implies  the 
eternal  safety  of  every  one  who  commits  his  soul  to  him.  Here 
the  soul  can  rest  with  unshaken  confidence.  Christ's  work  is 
perfect,  and  he  who  rests  upon  that  work  is  perfectly  saved. 
A  man  may  know  systems  of  theology,  and  preach  them  and 
contend  for  their  truth,  and  yet,  be  lost  forever;  but  to  take 
Jesus  by  faith  as  his  surety  before  God,  is  to  have  eternal  life. 
Trust  in  Christ  lies  at  the  foundation  of  all  true  religion.     This 


PAUL,    THE    APOSTLE    OF    THE    GENTILES.  359 

only  is  the  Divine  plan  of  saving.  It  stands  forth  in  the  Bible 
as  above  all  things  in  eternal  importance.  We  can  cleaily  see 
God's  ha7id  in  creation,  but  if  we  would  see  his  hearty  and  know 
how  he  feels  towards  us,  we  must  see  him  in  Christ.  There  we 
see  a  Father  that  can  love  us  in  all  our  misery  and  guilt ;  who 
has  loved  us  with  a  love  so  vast  as  to  astonish  all  heaven,  and 
would  astonish  all  earth,  were  it  not  for  the  unbelief  of  men. 

On  the  cross  we  see  Christ  dying  for  the  whole  world,  not 
for  a  particular  class,  or  nation,  or  caste.  Being  love,  God  is 
the  same  to  all.  Love  is  his  very  nature,  and  goes  towards  the 
most  unworthy.  Whatever  men  may  think,  whatever  they  may 
say,  whatever  they  may  feel  of  fear  and  doubt,  and  almost 
despair,  under  a  sense  of  their  own  unworthiness,  yet,  if  they 
are  ever  to  have  peace  here  or  hereafter,  it  must  be  by  faith  in 
God's  love  to  them,  as  shown  through  Christ.  Here  only  is 
peace  and  rest  for  the  guilty  sinner ;  a  salvation  full,  free, 
boundless,  and  not  depending  upon  the  good  that  may  be  found 
in  the  sinner,  but  upon  the  perfect  worthiness  that  may  be 
found  in  Christ. 

This  love  of  God  can  never  fail  the  trusting  soul,  for  it  reigns 
through  righteousness.  The  law  had  said,  "  The  soul  that  sin- 
neth  it  shall  die."  Christ  came  forth  to  die  in  our  stead.  He 
condemned  sin,  honored  the  demands  of  the  law  by  satisfying 
its  every  claim,  and  saves  the  sinner.  This  love  is  a  holy  love. 
"  On  Jesus'  cross  this  record's  graved, 
Let  sin  be  damned,  and  sinners  saved." 

It  is  a  love  that  acts  in  harmony  with  holiness  and  justice. 
And  these  attributes  of  God's  nature  are  satisfied  by  the  atone^ 
ment  that  satisfies  the  conscience  of  the  sinner.  Ah  !  what  can 
we  say,  as  we  look  at  this  wonderful  plan  of  mercy }  We  are 
at  a  loss  for  words,  and  can  only  use  those  of  the  world's 
Redeemer,  "God  so  loved  the  world." 

We  must  now  proceed  with  our  narrative  of  Paul's  works  of 
faith  and  labors  of  love.  Passing  over  his  visit  to  Thessalo- 
nica  and  Berea,  let  us  see  him  at  Athens.  We  associate  with 
the  name  of  Washington  all  that  is  great  and  noble  in  patriot- 
ism ;  and  so  to  the  mind  of  a  learned  heathen,  the  very  men- 


^6'0  THE    world's    hope. 

tion  of  Athens  called  up  all  that  was  great  in  the  arts  and  the 
sciences.  Thoughtful  men  and  ardent  minds  from  all  the  sur- 
rounding country  resorted  to  that  city,  and  in  gardens  and 
olive-shaded  walks,  as  well  as  in  its  halls  of  learning,  they 
discussed  their  various  mental  speculations,  and  listened  to 
the  teachings  of  the  great  philosophers  of  the  age,  with  pro- 
found admiration.  It  was  into  this  place  that  Paul  came,  bring- 
ing with  him  that  which  could  alone  make  the  people  wise  unto 
salvation.  As  a  scholar  and  as  a  man  of  a  highly  cultivated 
mind,  there  was  much  in  that  proud  city  to  interest  him.  Its 
splendid  buildings,  its  beautiful  temples,  its  sages,  its  poets, 
and  orators,  with  its  lofty  fame  and  historic  remembrances, 
were  all  calculated  to  attract  the  attention  of  a  man  of  culture, 
like  the  apostle.  But  his  heart  was  so  filled  with  sorrow  at 
the  sight  of  a  whole  city  given  over  to  sin,  that  he  could  pay 
but  little  attention  to  mere  sight-seeing.  He  looked  upon  them 
as  probationers  for  eternity,  not  as  the  mere  creatures  of  a  day ; 
and  when  he  considered  how  rapidly  that  probation  was  com- 
ing to  a  close,  he  felt  there  was  not  a  moment  to  lose.  Hence 
he  began  to  preach  to  them  the  blessed  gospel  of  the  grace  of 
God. 

Paul  takes  his  stand  upon  Mars  Hill,  and  around  him  gath- 
ers a  mixed  assembly.  There  are  the  philosophers  of  the  op- 
posing schools,  the  Cynic,  the  Stoic,  and  the  Epicurian ;  some 
with  a  look  of  contempt  upon  their  faces,  and  others  giving 
expression  to  a  bitter  sneer,  as  they  draw  near  to  listen  to  the 
apostle.  There  stands  that  plain,  earnest  man,  calm  and  self- 
possessed,  and  reposing,  in  that  exciting  hour  of  solemn  respon- 
sibility, upon  his  Lord's  promise,  "  Lo  !  I  am  with  you  always, 
even  unto  the  end  of  the  world,"  And  he  soon  showed  them  that 
he  was  no  ignorant  pretender  who  wanted  to  obtain  a  little 
brief  notoriety.  In  the  use  of  the  closest  logic  and  the  dialec- 
tic art,  he  showed  that  he  was  perfectly  at  home.  He  quotes 
from  their  poets,  and  shows  such  a  familiarity  with  their  own 
literature  as  must  have  astonished  them.  He  showed  them  that 
with  all  their  intelligence  and  general  knowledge  in  regard  to 
the  character  of  the  true  God,  they  were  as  ignorant  as  the 


PAUL,    THE    APOSTLE    OF    THE    GENTILES.  361 

rudest  barbarians.  Their  idol  worship  did  not  satisfy  the  strong 
longings  and  cravings  of  their  souls  after  the  Infinite ;  and  in 
their  blind  groping  about  after  the  knowledge  of  something 
better,  they  erected  a  notable  altar,  inscribing  upon  it,  "To 
THE  Unknown  God."  It  was  a  bold  step  which  Paul  took 
when  he  exposed  their  superstitions,  and  presented  to  them 
the  great  truths  of  the  gospel.  He  was  there  single-handed 
and  alone.  There  were  no  friends  to  protect  him,  should  his 
bold  attack  upon  their  ancestral  religion,  cause  them  to  rush 
upon  him  with  the  fury  of  sudden  passion.  But  he  had  faced 
too  many  mobs  and  been  too  often  delivered  to  be  afraid  now ; 
and  even  had  he  known  that  his  last  hour  had  come,  he  would 
not  have  shunned  to  declare  unto  them  the  whole  truth. 

Of  the  apostle's  discourse  on  this  occasion  but  a  mere  out- 
line is  reported.  He  sets  forth  the  character  and  perfections 
of  the  true  and  living  God,  for  such  a  knowledge  must  lie  at 
the  foundation  of  all  acceptable  worship.  "  He  that  coraeth  to 
God  must  believe  that  he  is,  and  that  he  is  the  rewarder  of 
them  who  diligently  seek  him."  He  showed  them,  also,  that 
the  great  Creator  presided,  by  an  overruling  and  minute  prov- 
idence, over  all  the  works  of  his  hands.  That  all  things,  great 
or  small,  the  affairs  of  an  obscure  individual  or  of  vast  com- 
munities, are  all  under  his  governmental  sway ;  for  in  God  we 
live,  and  move,  and  have  our  being.  He  taught  them  that 
this  great  Being  was  not  far  from  any  of  them,  striking  thus 
at  the  very  root  of  their  false  philosophy  and  idolatrous  wor- 
ship, and  making  them  feel  personally  responsible  for  ever^ 
act  of  their  lives. 

But  he  did  not  leave  them  here,  else  had  they  been  little 
better  than  before.  To  know  that  God  is  ever  near  us,  and 
that  he  holds  us  responsible  for  all  the  actions  of  our  lives,  can 
bring  no  peace  to  a  sinner.  We  want  to  know  if  He  loves  us, 
and  if  He  will  pardon  our  sins.  But  Paul  was  not  the  man  to 
leave  out  the  gospel  of  Christ  on  such  an  important  occasion. 
He  was  not  preaching  for  the  applause  of  his  hearers,  but  for 
their  profit.  He  was  trying  to  win  their  souls,  not  their  favor. 
In  what  he  had  said  he  was  only  clearing  the  way  for  the  all- 


362  THE    world's    hope. 

mportant  message  of  salvation.  He  preached  to  them  a  sal- 
vation already  perfect ;  a  plan  of  mercy  existing  in  the  Divine 
mind  from  all  eternity,  and  now  revealed  to  a  guilty  world  by 
the  death  of  Jesus  upon  the  cross.  This  Jesus,  of  whom  they 
were  now  hearing  for  the  first  time,  died  for  them ;  his  salva- 
tion was  offered  to  them ;  it  was  in  every  way  adapted  to  their 
wants,  and  without  it  they  must  perish. 

What  success  attended  this  sermon  ?  It  is  the  old  story  that 
must  be  told  in  regard  to  that.  Some  mocked  ;  some  hesitated, 
wavered,  were  almost  convinced,  but  delayed ;  and  some 
promptly  took  Christ  as  their  Savior.  There  is  nothing  that 
shows  more  clearly  the  awful  depravity  of  the  human  heart, 
than  the  reception  they  give  to  the  gospel,  who  hear  it  under 
the  most  favorable  circumstances.  The  preacher  may  be  tbe 
most  able  and  earnest — a  Paul,  or  even  the  Lord  Jesus  himself; 
the  truths  spoken  may  be  as  well  adapted  to  the  case  of  the 
hearer  as  Divine  inspiration  can  make  them ;  the  evidence  for 
the  truth  of  the  statements  made  may  be  invulnerable — the 
logic  perfect  in  every  shining  link ;  the  understanding  of  the 
hearer  may  be  convinced,  and  even  his  conscience  enlightened, 
so  that  he  approves  the  truth  to  which  he  listens ;  and  yet,  so 
great  is  the  opposition  of  the  natural  heart  to  the  humbling 
plan  of  salvation,  that  not  one  soul  would  ever  receive  it,  were 
it  not  for  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  in  applying  the  truth. 
This  comforts  the  hearts  of  those  who  preach.  No  words  that 
they  can  use,  no  arguments  that  they  can  advance,  no  power 
of  human  eloquence  can  convert  souls ;  but  there  is  a  Divine 
Agent  present  who  can  apply  the  truth  to  the  sinner's  heart 
with  mighty  power.  To  the  soul  unenlightened  by  the  Spirit, 
the  gospel  is  treated  as  foolishness;  but  to  those  to  whom  it  is 
brought  with  power,  it  is  the  wisdom  of  God. 

That  so  few  received  the  gospel  in  Athens,  compared  to 
some  other  places,  is  a  solemn  lesson  as  to  the  effect  of  pride 
of  intellect  in  leading  men  to  reject  the  Savior.  Our  Lord 
rejoiced  in  spirit,  that  the  things  which  men  wise  in  the  esti- 
mation of  the  world  despised,  were  clearly  apprehended  and 
loved,  by  those  who  might  be  called  babes  in  knowledge ;  and 


PAUL,    THE    APOSTLE    OF    THE    GENTILES.  363 

Paul  said,  "  Where  is  the  wise  ?  where  is  the  scribe  ?  where  is 
the  disputer  of  this  world?  Hath  not  God  made  foolish  the 
wisdom  of  this  world  ?  "  A  man  must  become  as  a  little  child 
in  humility  and  simplicity  of  spirit,  before  he  can  enter  Christ's 
holy  kingdom.  Many  great  and  distinguished  men  have  come 
to  the  adorable  Savior,  but  they  did  not  come  as  such,  but  as 
poor,  lost  sinners.  And  to  all  who  come  in  that  way  the  arms 
of  his  mercy  are  ever  open.     He  will  in  no  wise  cast  out. 

We  next  find  the  apostles  in  Corinth.  This  was  a  large  and 
populous  city,  abounding  in  wealth,  and  remarkable  for  the 
magnificence  of  many  of  its  buildings.  In  regard  to  morality, 
its  people  were  proverbial  for  their  wick-edness.  As  it  was  the 
mart  of  the  world,  luxury  and  dissipation  abounded.  It  has 
been  called  the  Paris  of  antiquity,  because  of  its  gayety  and 
corruption.  Its  very  religion  was  debasing,  the  principal  deity 
which  they  worshiped  being  Venus,  the  goddess  of  licentious- 
ness. Here  Paul  began  to  preach  Christ  crucified,  first  among 
the  Jews,  and  when  they  rejected  the  truth,  he  turned  to  the 
Gentiles,  He  had  at  this  time  great  distress  and  depression 
of  mind.  He  says  he  was  with  them  in  much  weakness,  and 
in  fear  and  trembling.  No  doubt  the  sight  of  the  wickedness 
around  him,  the  -contempt  and  insult  witli  which  the  name  of 
his  divine  Mastery  ud  been  treated,  and  the  slight  prospect  of 
doing  any  good  there,  tended  to  produce  this  effect  upon  his 
mind.  He  had  evidently  thought  of  leaving  the  place  before 
his  work  was  done ;  for  the  Lord  appeared  to  him  in  a  vision 
of  the  night,  saying,  "  Be  not  afraid,  but  speak,  and  hold  not 
thy  peace ;  for  I  am  with  thee,  and  no  man  shall  set  on  thee 
to  hurt  thee,  for  I  have  much  people  in  this  place," 

Encouraged  and  emboldened  by  this  promise,  Paul  continued 
to  preach  in  this  city  for  a  year  and  six  months ;  and  with 
cheering  success.  A  large  church  was  gathered,  to  whom  he 
afterwards  addressed  two  epistles.  Some  of  those  who  were 
converted  had  been  among  the  lowest  and  most  abandoned  o£ 
the  people  of  that  wicked  city,  and  thus  became  monuments 
of  God's  mercy,  and  of  the  efficacy  of  the  blood  of  Jesus  to 
cleanse   from  all   sin.     Some  persons   of    rank  and  iniluence 


364  THE    world's    hope. 

were  also  among  the  converts;  such  as  Chrispus,  aruler  of  the 
synagogue.  It  was  at  this  place  that  he  wrote  his  epistles  to 
the  Thessalonians ;  and  in  the  opinion  of  many,  the  epistle  to 
the  Galatians  was  also  v/ritten  in  this  city. 

It  was  while  in  this  place  that  he  met  with  two  persons  of 
eminent  piety,  and  well  instructed  in  the  Scriptures.  These 
were  Aquila  and  his  wife,  Priscilla.  They  had  been  banished 
from  Rome  on  account  of  their  love  to  the  blessed  gospel,  and 
with  them  the  apostle  took  up  his  abode,  and  supported  him- 
self, for  a  time,  by  working  at  his  trade.  This  devoted  Chris- 
tian couple  were  truly  patterns  of  all  that  is  excellent  in  the 
walks  of  private  life.  In  a  quiet,  unostentatious  way  they  did 
good  to  all  as  they  had  opportunity,  and  their  names  find 
honorable  mention  in  the  sacred  record,  on  several  occasions. 
When  Apollos,  a  man  of  great  eloquence,  but  imperfectly 
informed  as  to  the  doctrines  of  Christ,  began  to  preach  where 
they  lived,  they  took  him  to  their  quiet  home  and  explained  to 
him  the  way  of  the  Lord  clearly.  They  could  not  preach 
themselves,  but  they  could  make  the  plan  of  salvation  plainer 
to  one  who  had  the  gift  of  eloquence,  and  who  could  sway  and 
interest  the  listening  crowd.  They  could  not  reason  and  write 
like  Paul,  but  they  (?ould  give  him  the  comforts  of  a  home, 
cheer  and  comfort  him  by  the  warmth  of  a  true  Christian 
friendship,  and  hold  up  his  hands  by  believing  prayer.  None 
need  be  idle  in  Christ's  vineyard  if  they  are  only  willing  to  do 
the  work,  however  humble,  that  is  laid  to  their  hands 

We  next  find  the  apostle  in  labors  more  abundant  in  the 
city  of  Ephesus.  Wliat  a  glorious  sight  is  a  powerful  intellect, 
a  strong  will,  and  a  persuasive  eloquence,  all  devoted  to  the 
glory  of  God — the  whole  soul,  body  and  spirit,  given  up  to 
the  Lord's  service,  as  the  great  business  of  life.  Such  was 
Paul.  No  sooner  does  he  see  the  cause  of  Christ  established 
in  one  place,  than  he  pushes  on  to  enter  another  field  of 
untouched  heathenism.  He  does  not  pause  to  enjoy  rest  and 
the  delights  of  fellowship  with  his  Christian  brethren,  for 
which  he  had  the  highest  relish  ,  but  presses  forward  to  work 
while  it  is  called  to-day,  and  waiting  for  the  long  rest  of  heaven. 


PAUL,    THE    APOSTLE    OF    THE    GENTILES.  365 

Ephesus  was  at  one  time  regarded  as  the  m'ost  splendid  city 
in  Asia  Minor.  There  stood  the  Temple  of  Diana,  said  to 
have  been  four  hundred  and  twenty-five  feet  in  length,  and 
two  hundred  and  twenty  feet  in  breadth.  It  had  one  hundred 
and  twenty-seven  pillars,  each  ot  which  was  sixty  feet  in  height. 
It  will  be  seen,  then,  that  this  city  was  one  of  the  strong-holds 
of  idolatry ;  and  Paul  remained  longer  here  than  at  any  other 
one  place,  as  if  determined  to  do  what  he  could  to  establish 
a  strong  church  of  Christ  there.  In  preaching  the  word  of 
God  it  was  evidently  his  plan  to  first  plant  strong  churches  in 
the  large  cities,  as  great  centers  of  influence  and  power,  from 
which  the  gospel  would  sound  forth.  Those  places,  especially 
where  the  most  splendid  temples  were  built  to  the  gods,  were 
the  fields  of  moral  labor  where  he  most  earnestly  and  perse- 
veringly  toiled.  This  accounts  for  his  spending  three  v/hole 
years  of  his  active  life  in  Ephesus  ;  and  it  v/as  doubtless  for  the 
same  reason  that  John  spent  so  many  years  as  pastor  of  the 
church  there. 

The  apostle  began  his  w^ork  of  faith  and  love  in  this  city  by 
preaching  in  the  synagogues  of  the  Jews  ;  and  for  three  months, 
by  powerful  arguments  and  touching  appeals,  sought  to  bring 
them  to  Christ.  But  they  Avere  so  filled  with  prejudices  and 
enmity  against  the  gospel  that  he  left  them,  and  in  a  public 
school  in  the  city,  preached  to  all  who  came  in,  the  unsearch- 
able riches  of  Christ.  To  arrest  public  attention  and  to  con- 
firm the  truth,  he  was  permitted  to  perform  many  miracles ; 
such  as  healing  all  kinds  of  diseases,  and  casting  out  demons, 
in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus. 

In  connection  with  this  latter  act  a  remarkable  circumstance 
occurred.  Some  Jews  who  pretended  to  the  power  of  casting 
out  demons  began  to  imitate  Paul,  and  in  their  adjurations 
used  the  Savior's  blessed  name.  The  seven  sons  of  a  Jewish 
priest  while  doing  this,  were  confounded  by  the  evil  spirit  say- 
ing, "Jesus  I  know,  and  Paul  I  know  ;  but  who  are  ye  ?  "  And 
the  possessed  flew  upon  them  with  great  fury,  so  that  they  had 
to  flee  from  the  house  naked  and  wounded.  This  created  a 
great  sensation,  both  among  the  Jews  and  the  Greeks,  and  a 


^66  THE    world's    H0PE> 

solemn  dread  fell  upon  the  minds  of  men.  Great  numbers 
were  converted^  and  gave  striking  evidence  of  the  reality  of 
the  change,  by  bringing  forth  their  bad  books  and  publicly 
committing  them  to  the  flames.  As  in  this  case  the  pecuniary 
sacrifice  was  very  great,  their  sincerity  could  not  be  doubted. 
I  once  saw  a  case  of  this  kind  occur  in  a  powerful  revival. 
A  man  had  been  converted,  who  was  engaged  in  the  sale  of 
intoxicating  drinks.  Next  morning  he  went  into  his  bar  room, 
after  having  had  prayer  with  his  family  for  the  first  time.  He 
ssLW  one  after  another  of  his  bloated  custom.ers  come  in  to  get 
their  accustomed  morning  potion;  and  as  he  thought  of  their 
present  and  future  misery,  the  guilt  of  his  business  burst  upon 
his  mind  in  all  its  horror.  He  had  his  barrels  of  liquor  rolled 
out  into  the  street  and  their  contents  poured  forth  ;  and  as  the 
stream  ran  down  the  street,  a  dark  torrent  of  death,  many  a 
prayer  v/ent  up  for  the  wretched  victims  of  intemperance.  Yes, 
in  modern  as  well  as  in  ancient  times,  the  gospel  is  "mighty  to 
the  pulling  down  of  strong  holds.'* 

Great  good  was  being  done  in  Ephesus;  and,  of  course,  Sa- 
tan began  to  rage.  The  apostle  described  the  state  of  things 
very  aptly  in  the  words,  "  A  great  door  and  effectual  is  opened 
unto  me,  and  there  are  many  adversaries."  Demetrius  was  a 
man,  who  made  great  profits  by  the  worship  of  Diana,  and 
fearing  that  if  Paul  was  allowed  to  go  on  preaching  his  gains 
would  be  at  an  end,  he  gathered  together  a  furious  mob,  who 
thirsted  for  the  apostle *s  blood.  We  can  novirhere  get  a  bet- 
ter picture  of  an  unreasoning  mob  than  is  here  presented. 
There  they  are,  filling  the  streets,  heaving  to  and  fro  like  the 
waves  of  the  ocean,  a  sea  of  upturned  faces  inflamed  v/ith  dead- 
ly hate,  and  shouting  for  two  hours,  "  Great  is  Diana  of  the 
Ephesians."  No  wonder  that  the  apostle  said  he  "  fought  with 
beasts  at  Ephesus.'* 

When  the  time  came  that  he  must  leave  this  place,  it  was 
evidently  with  feelings  of  deep  sorrow  that  he  parted  from  his 
dear  Christian  friends.  His  parting  address  to  the  elders  of 
the  church  is  most  touching  and  affecting.  He  appealed  to  them 
as  to  the  purity  of  his  conduct  while  among  them,  and  as  to 


PAUL,    THE    APOSTLE    OF    THE    GENTILES.  367 

the  earnestness  with  which  he  had  sought  them  not  theirs.  He 
told  them  that  in  his  purposed  journey,  he  knew  only  one 
thing,  namely  that  bonds  and  affliction  would  be  his  portion* 
and  then  comes  that  noble  and  heroic  statement,  "  But  none 
of  these  things  move  me,  neither  count  I  my  life  dear  unto  my- 
self, so  that  I  might  finish  my  course  with  joy,  and  the  minis- 
try, which  I  have  received  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  to  testify  the 
gospel  of  the  grace  of  God." 

He  then  tells  them  that  they  should  see  his  face  no  more  ; 
and  warned  them  against  the  designs  of  evil  men,  who  would 
seek  to  divide  them,  and  lead  them  astray  from  the  faith  of  the 
gospel.  Then  kneeling  down  he  prayed  with  them,  and  they 
parted,  to  see  each  other  no  more  on  earth.  The  whole  scene 
is  most  tender  and  affecting.  They  loved  him  and  felt  as  if 
they  could  not  give  him  up.  They  wept  bitterly,  fell  upon  his 
neck  and  kissed  him,  and  felt  as  if  their  hearts  would  break, 
as  they  thought  that  they  should  see  him  no  more  on  the  shores 
of  time.  What  a  beautiful  character  we  see  in  Paul !  Firm 
as  a  rock  where  firmness  is  needed,  and  yet  gently  and  loving 
as  a  woman  among  his  friends.  His  loving  and  affectionate 
spirit  won  the  hearts  of  the  people  every  where ;  and  his  terri- 
ble rebukes  made  the  enemies  of  the  truth  to  tremble.  A 
M^armer  heart  never  beat  in  human  bosom  ;  and  yet,  where  duty 
required,  he  could  be  severely  stern,  even  to  his  friends. 

Among  all  men  he  so  lived  and  spoke  as  to  be  clear  of  their 
blood,  in  the  great  day  of  account. 

Paul  sailed  from  Miletus  and  landed  at  Tyre.  Here  he 
spent  several  days,  comforting  and  edifying  the  church.  One 
of  his  friends,  who  had  the  prophetic  power,  told  him  that  he 
would  be  imprisoned  and  delivered  over  to  the  Roman  power. 
He  was  urged  by  his  brethren  to  give  up  his  intended  visit  to 
Jerusalem ;  but  he  was  not  to  be  turned  aside  by  the  tears  of 
friends  or  the  threats  of  foes,  when  duty  called  him.  Arrived 
at  Jerusalem  he  took  up  his  abode  with  an  aged  disciple  named 
Mnason.  He  visited  the  apostle  James,  and  in  the  presence  of 
the  elders  told  what  a  great  work  of  grace  God  wrought,  by 
his  means,  among  the  Gentiles.     The  church  gave  him  a  cor- 


368  THE    world's    hope. 

dial  greeting  and  glorified  God  for  the  great  good  done  by  his 
ministry.  The  Jews  were  strongly  prejudiced  against  him,  and 
on  his  first  public  appearance  raised  a  mob  against  him,  beat 
him,  and  would  have  taken  his  life  had  not  Lysias,  a  Roman 
officer,  with  armed  men,  come  and  rescued  him  out  of  their 
hands,  and  conducted  him  to  the  castle  as  a  prisoner.  Mean- 
time the  mob  followed,  shouting  with  great  fury,  as  they  did 
with  his  divine  Master,  "  Away  with  him." 

Paul  got  permission  from  the  captain  to  speak  to  the  people ; 
and  when  they  heard  him  address  them  in  Hebrew,  they  were 
silent.  We  cannot  dwell  on  this  speech.  He  related  his  con- 
version, and  referred  to  his  past  life  as  a  zealous  persecutor  of 
the  ifaith  of  Christ ;  but  when  he  came  to  speak  of  his  mission 
to  the  Gentiles,  they  broke  out,  crying,  "  Away  with  such  a 
fellow  from  the  earth  !" 

The  Roman  officer,  wanting  to  know  more  of  this  prisoner, 
commanded  him  to  be  examined  by  scourging.  Preparatory  to 
that  being  done,  the  soldiers  were  binding  him  with  thongs, 
when  he  turned  to  the  centurion  and  quietly  said,  "  Is  it  lawful 
for  you  to  scourge  a  man  that  is  a  Roman  and  uncondemned  ?" 
What  a  sudden  change  the  words  produce !  They  are  startled 
as  if  a  bolt  of  lightning  had  fallen  in  their  midst.  Hands 
drop  and  eyes  stare ;  and  fear,  at  what  they  had  already  done 
in  binding  him,  showed  itself  in  their  countenances.  In  great 
haste  a  superior  officer  came  in  to  ask  Paul  if  it  was  indeed 
true,  that  he  was  a  Roman  citizen.  He  assured  him  that  it  was, 
and  that  he  was  free  born.  Thus  Paul  always  stood  up  for 
his  civil  rights  as  a  citizen,  and  on  one  occasion  when  these 
rights  were  trampled  upon,  he  would  not  go  out  of  prison,  till 
the  magistrates  came  in  person  and  made  an  apology  to  him. 

Next  day  the  apostle  was  called  before  the  Jewish  Sanhe- 
drim. The  night  before  the  Lord  appeared  before  him,  telling 
him  to  be  of  good  cheer,  and  that  he  was  to  bear  testimony  for 
his  name  at  Rome.  No  sooner  had  he  begun  to  address  the 
council,  than  Ananias,  the  high  priest,  commanded  him  to  be 
struck  upon  the  mouth.  This  was  so  manifestly  unjust  and 
insolent,  that  Paul  turned  to  him  and  indignantly  exclaimedj 


PAUL,    THE    APOSTLE    OF    THE    GENTILES.  369 

"  God  shall  smite  thee,  thou  whited  wall !  for  sittest  thou  to 
judge  nie  after  the  law,  and  commandest  me  to  be  smitten  con- 
trary to  the  law?"  This  was  a  well  deserved  rebuke;  and  we 
can  imagine  the  glowing  countenance  and  flashing  eye  with 
which  the  words  were  spoken.  When  told  the  official  position 
of  the  man  he  rebuked,  he  partially  apologized  for  his  words ; 
for  it  is  often  proper  to  show  that  respect  to  the  office  which 
we  cannot  feel  for  the  man  that  holds  it. 

With  a  quick  eye,  Paul  saw  that  the  council  was  composed 
of  Pharisees  and  Sadducees ;  and  with  great  readiness  he  re- 
marked that  for  his  belief  in  the  resurrection  of  the  dead,  he 
had  been  accused  by  his  countrymen.  As  the  Sadducees  did 
not  believe  that  there  was  any  resurrection,  nor  any  spiritual 
existence,  there  was  a  division  and  strife  among  them  ;  the  re- 
sult of  which  was,  that  the  prisoner  was  still  left  in  the  hands  of 
the  Roman  governor.  Finding  that  the  Jews  had  formed  a 
conspiracy  to  kill  his  wonderful  prisoner,  to  protect  v.'hom  he 
felt  in  honor  bound,  he  sent  him  down,  under  a  large  military 
escort,  to  the  Roman  Castle  at  Cesarea. 

The  Jews  still  pursued  him  with  relentless  hatred.  When 
Festus  became  governor  of  Judea,  on  his  first  visit  to  Jerusa- 
lem they  brought  great  charges  against  Paul,  and  petitioned 
that  he  might  be  sent  to  that  city,  intending  to  murder  him  on 
the  way.  This  plan  was  defeated,  for  Festus  requested  his  ac- 
cusers to  appear  at  Cesarea.  And  when  they  did  make  their 
appearance,  Festus,  in  order  to  please  the  Jews,  wanted  to  send 
him  to  Jerusalem ;  but  the  apostle,  seeing  through  the  design, 
claimed  the  privilege,  as  a  Roman  citizen,  to  be  tried  before 
the  emperor,  and  therefore  boldly  appealed  unto  C^sar. 

But  before  following  him  to  Rome,  let  us  notice  his  tv.o  pub- 
lic appearances — that  before  Felix  and  before  King  Agrippa. 
In  regard  to  Felix,  the  Roman  governor,  Tacitus  gives  him 
this  character  :  "  In  the  practice  of  all  kinds  of  lust  and  cruelty 
he  exercised  the  power  of  a  King  with  the  temper  of  a  slave," 
And  certainly  all  that  history  tells  us  of  him,  fully  justifies  this 
description.  The  v/oman  that  he  called  his  wife,  he  had  sedr.ced 
f.-.-^-.i  'nor-rvr  Irii-'ful  h-Ji^b.ind.     Hii.':  '.v.ir.  the  man  before  wl^^op.i 


370  THE    WORLD  S    HOPE. 

Paul  was  called  to  make  his  defence.  The  high  priest,  together 
with  leading  men  among  the  Jews  and  a  celebrated  and  elo- 
quent lawyer,  named  Tertullus,  were  there  as  his  accusers. 
The  speech  of  this  paid  advocate  against  the  apostle  shows  a 
good  deal  of  ability,  and  in  a  very  cunning  way  he  mixes  his 
charges,  so  as  to  make  it  appear  that  the  prisoner  had  broken 
both  the  law  of  the  Romans,  and  also  the  ecclesiastical  law  of 
the  Jews.  He  spoke  of  him  in  the  most  contemptuous  terms, 
as  a  pestilent  fellow ;  and  one  in  ignorance  of  the  facts,  might 
have  supposed  that  Paul  was  the  ring-leader  of  the  mob,  instead 
of  being  the  innocent  victim  of  its  senseless  rage   and  cruelty. 

But  Paul  is  upon  his  feet,  and  with  all  the  tact  and  dignity 
of  the  perfect  orator,  begins  his  defense.  By  a  clear  and  sim- 
ple statement  of  facts,  he  exposes  the  falsehoods  that  had  been 
uttered  against  him ;  till  the  tide  of  feeling  turns  in  his  favor, 
and  his  vindication  is  complete.  Felix  sent  for  Paul,  some 
days  after  this,  to  hear  more  from  him  concerning  the  faith  of 
Christ.  The  man  of  God,  is  not  afraid  of  the  vile  libertine; 
nor  has  he  any  favors  to  ask  of  him.  He  no  longer  pleads  his 
own  case,  but  seeks  to  save  the  souls  before  him.  What  he 
said  is  not  fully  reported ;  but  we  are  told  that  he  reasoned  so 
powerfully,  and  spoke  so  faithfully,  on  the  matters  of  righteous 
ness,  temperance,  and  a  judgment  to  come,  that  Felix  trembled 
before  the  majesty  of  the  truth.  Like  all  convicted  sinners, 
when  they  are  not  honest  in  resolving  to  give  up  their  sins,  he 
delayed  the  matter  to  some  more  convenient  time,  as  he  called 
it ,  which  time,  alas  !  never  came. 

Before  going  to  Rome,  Paul  had  another  opportunity  of 
pleading  the  Savior's  cause,  before  those  whom  the  world  calls 
great.  King  Agrippa  and  his  wife  Bernice  paid  a  visit  to  Fe- 
lix, at  Cesarea,  and  having  heard  much  of  Paul,  desired  to  see 
him  for  themselves .  An  appointment  was  made,  the  court 
was  called  together,  the  principal  officers  of  the  army  and  the 
leading  men  of  the  city  were  there,  and  in  all  the  glory  of  offi- 
cial dignity  appeared  Agrippa  and  his  court .  Before  this 
great  and  brilliant  assembly  the  apostle  was  to  make  his  de- 
fense .     It  was  a  great  occasion,  but  he  was  equal  to  it .     It  is 


PAUL,    THE    APOSTLE    OF    THE    GENTILES,  37 1 

the  proof  of  true  genius,  chat  it  rises,  without  much  seeming  ef- 
fort, to  meet  the  calls  that  are  made  upon  it,  even  when  unex- 
pected. How  great  and  Christ-like  the  apostle  seemed  on  that 
day  !  His  manner  is  so  dignified  and  respectful,  and  yet  so 
manly  and  independent.  He  felt  tenderly  for  the  precious 
souls  before  him,  and  made  strong  efforts  to  carry  their  con- 
victions of  mind  and  heart  for  Christ.  We  cannot  dwell  upon 
the  address.  We  have  but  an  outline  of  it,  yet  fragmentary  as 
it  is,  we  love  to  read  it  over  and  over.  He  relates  his  conver- 
sion, and  the  solemn  and  miraculous  events  connected  with 
it.  As  the  stream  of  his  eloquence  rushes  on,  his  hearers  are 
much  impressed.  It  is  too  much  for  the  conscience  of  Festus — 
he  can  keep  still  no  longer,  but  with  a  loud  voice  exclaims, 
"Paul,  thou  art  beside  thyself;  much  learning  doth  make  thee 
mad."  An  old  trick  of  mad  sinners  is,  to  call  those  mad  who 
seek  to  save  them  from  the  ruin  upon  which  they  are  rushing. 
To  this  rude  interruption  Paul  makes  a  graceful  reply,  assur- 
ing them  that  he  spoke  only  the  words  of  truth  and  soberness. 
Agrippa  was  a  Jew,  and  therefore  he  makes  to  him  the  bold 
appeal,  "King  Agrippa,  believest  thou  the  prophets  ?  I  know 
that  thou  believest."  The  King  was  much  moved,  and  said, 
"Almost  thou  persuadest  me  to  be  a  Christian."  Nothing 
could  be  more  apt  and  beautiful  than  the  apostle's  response  : 
"I  would  to  God,  that  not  only  thou,  but  also  all  that  hear  me 
this  day,  were  both  almost  and  altogether  such  as  I  am,  ex- 
cept these  bonds." 

On  Paul's  voyage  to  Rome,  I  need  not  dwell.  It  was  stormy 
and  tedious.  The  ship  was  crowded  and  unfit  to  put  to  sea  ; 
but  Paul,  though  a  prisoner,  showed  the  power  of  a  great  mas- 
ter mind.  In  storm  or  in  calm,  in  danger  or  in  safety,  he  was 
always  the  same  brave,  joyful,  self-denying  spirit.  When  he 
was  delivered  over  to  the  military  commander  at  Rome,  he 
was  allowed  the  privilege  of  living  in  his  own  hired  house,  and 
he  soon  turned  it  into  a  place  of  prayer,  and  a  place  where 
Christians  were  confirmed  in  the  faith  and  sinners  converted. 
God  did  a  great  work  by  his  servant  in  that  city,  so  that  the 
gospel  found  an  entrance  into  the  palace  of  Nero  himself.     How 


372  THE    WORLDS    HOPE.  f 

wonderful  are  God's  ways  !  He  overrules  the  very  wickedness 
of  man  to  accomplish  his  designs  of  love.  The  fury  of  that 
mob  at  Jerusalem,  and  all  the  wrath  of  the  Jews,  only  resulted 
in  giving  Paul  opportunities  of  preaching  Christ,  in  places  and 
to  persons,  that  he  would  not  otherwise  have  had ;  and  results 
in  the  conversion  of  some  in  the  household  of  Cesar.  After 
two  years,  he  had  his  trial  before  the  emperor  and  was  set  at 
liberty. 

Paul  then  traveled,  as  before,  for  some  years.  He  visited 
Spain,  and  some  think  France  and  Britain.  He  returned  again 
to  Rome,  and,  on  some  pretence,  was  cast  into  prison.  During 
this  imprisonment  he  wrote  his  Second  Epistle  to  Timothy, 
evidently  expecting  soon  to  die  for  the  cause  of  Christ.  Chry- 
sostum  says,  that  one  of  Nero's  concubines  was  converted  un- 
der the  apostle's  preaching;  which  so  enraged  the  tyrant  that 
he  first  sent  him  to  prison,  and  soon  after  had  him  put  to  death. 
That  he  met  the  last  enemy  with  triumph,  we  may  know  from 
the  words  he  addressed  to  Timothy  ;  "I  am-now  ready  to  be 
offered,  and  the  time  of  my  departure  is  at  hand.  I  have 
fought  a  good  fight ;  I  have  finished  my  course,  I  have  kept  the 
faith.  Henceforth  there  is  laid  up  for  me  a  crown  of  righteous- 
ness, which  the  Lord,  the  righteous  Judge,  shall  give  me  at 
that  day  ;  and  not  to  me  only,  but  unto  all  them  also  that  love 
his  appearing."  He  has  long  been  with  Christ;  that  Savior 
that  he  loved  so  dearly  and  served  so  faithfully  on  earth,  has 
wiped  all  tears  from  his  eyes ;  and  in  the  joy  of  his  presence, 
he  forgets  all  the  pains  and  the  toils  of  the  way.  Let  us  fol- 
low him  as  he  followed  the  adorable  Redeemer.  Such  men 
are  God's  heroes. 

"  Not  on  the  gory  fields  of  fame 

Their  noble  deeds  were  done  ; 
Not  in  the  sounds  of  earth's  acclaim 

Their  fadeless  crowns  were  won. 
Not  from  the  palaces  of  Kings, 

Came  the  great  souls,  whose  life-work  flings 
Luster  o'er  earth  and  time. 


PAUL,    THE    APOSTLE    OF    THE    GENTILES.  373 

"  For  truth  with  tireless  zeal  they  sought; 

In  joyless  paths  they  trod; 
Heedless  of  praise  or  blame  they  wrought, 

And  left  the  rest  .with  God. 
The  lowest  sphere  was  not  disdained  ; 

Where  love  could  soothe  or  save 
They  went,  by  fearless  faith  sustained, 

Nor  knew  their  deeds  were  bj?av8.  ** 


PART     II. 


MOODY    AND    SANKEY 


HISTORY   OF  THEIR  EARLY  LIFE. 


CHAPTER   XXV. 

HISTORY    OF    THEIR    EARLY   LIFE. 

In  seeking  to  satisfy  a  natural  curiosity  respecting  tlie  men 
wbo  have  accomplished  the  grandest  evangelistic  work  of 
modern  times,  and  who  seem  but  to  have  entered  upon  their 
wonderful  career  of  Christian  conquest,  we  also  unfold  a  stran- 
ger page  of  Divine  Providence  than  we  usually  encounter,  and 
see  how  God  trains  His  servants  for  the  peculiar  service  to 
which  He  invites  them.  Where  so  much  has  been  written  on 
this  part  of  our  subject,  it  is  easy  to  gather  materials  for  a 
much  fuller  sketch  than  is  necessary  to  open  the  topic  to  the 
intelligent  apprehension  of  our  readers.  It  is  true  that  what- 
ever truly  represents  a  human  life  must  be  interesting,  however 
lowly  that  existence  and  humble  its  surroundings.  We  could 
wish  for  more  information  concerning  our  blessed  Lord  and  His 
early  life,  but  enough  has  been  given  to  verify  Him  to  us  as  a 
real  personage,  and  to  show  that  all  was  in  keeping  with  the 
unique  character  He  possessed  and  the  double  office  He  per- 
formed. The  same  is  true  respecting  the  apostles  and  evan- 
gelists. We  have  no  .burdensome  minutiae  of  description,  but 
only  general  outlines  and  occasional  facts  of  characteristic 
interest  and  historic  importance. 

In  reference  to  these  new  candidates  for  honor  as  great 
harvesters  in  the  field  of  souls,  one  of  whom  is  a  personal  friend, 
we  find  the  ample  materials  scattered  in  books  and  periodi- 
cals, and  gather  them  into  such  form  as  will  best  meet  the 
wants  of  our  readers,  being   careful  to  exercise  judgment  in 


376  MOODY   AND    SANKEY. 

the  selection  and  grouping,  that  we  may  portray  truthfully  the 
ways  of  Providence  in  their  course  of  education  and  training 
for  their  present  mighty  success. 

Dwight  Lyman  Moody  was  born  in  Northfield,  Massachu- 
setts, February  5th,  1837.  He  received  but  little  education, 
being  naturally  averse  to  study  and  more  fond  of  work  and  play. 
His  people  were  of  the  Unitarian  faith,  and  he  tells  a  story  of 
himself  that  shows  how  natural  it  is  for  even  a  wild,  wicked  boy 
to  pray  when  in  trouble. 

He  was  not  a  praying  lad,  though  on  one  occasion  when  a 
fence  fell  on  him  and  he  could  not  throw  it  off,  he  first  exhausted 
all  his  powers  in  calling  for  help,  and  then,  finding  that  nobody 
came,  he  "happened  to  think  that  maybe  God  would  help  him, 
and  so  asked  Him.  And  after  that  he  could  lift  off  the  rails  just 
as  easy!  "  How  true  it  is  that  God  is  not  far  from  every  one 
of  us. 

Mr.  Moody  often  tells  the  story  of  the  departure  of  the  elder 
brother  from  home,  and  his  return  after  years  of  absence,  his 
whereabouts  being  all  the  time  unknown  to  the  widowed  mother 
and  sorrowing  family.  He  came  back  after  he  grew  to  manhood, 
and  waiting  at  the  door  till  his  mother  should  recognize  and  for- 
give him,  he  melted  under  her  tender  words  and  entered  the 
house  forgiven,  a  restored  son.  "And  that,"  says  the  evangelist, 
"is  just  the  way  God  forgives  all  the  prodigal  sons  who  come 
back  to  Him.  Do  you  think  mother  kept  her  long-lost  boy  out 
there  in  the  porch  till  he  had  gone  through  with  a  long  string  of 
apologies,  and  done  a  list  of  penances,  and  said  ever  so  many 
prayers  ?  Not  at  all !  She  took  him  to  her  heart  at  once.  She 
made  him  come  right  in.  She  forgave  him  all^  and  rejoiced  over 
his  coming  more  than  over  all  the  other  children.  He  had  been 
lost  and  now  he  was  found  !  "  He  has  a  nature  so  strong 
in  its  domestic  attachments  that  such  an  event  appeals  to  him 
most  deeply,  and  enables  him  to  use  it  with  tremendous  power 
when  he  wishes  to  illustrate,  to  great  congregations,  God's  for- 
giving mercy. 


HISTORY    OF    THEIR    EARLY    LIFE.  377 

forms  and  restraints  of  religion.  His  mother,  whom  he  loved 
with  rare  tenderness,  could  alone  control  the  strong-willed  boy. 
His  native  energy  made  him  restless,  and  gave  him  a  certain 
commanding  influence  which  amounted  among  his  youthful  com- 
panions to  leadership.  They  naturally  followed  him  in  all  the 
sports  and  pranks  which  boys  delight  in,  and  he  was  their  guiding 
and  master-spirit.  The  boy  was  father  of  the  man,  for  Mr.  Moody's 
genius  for  taking  the  lead  has  contributed  materially  to  his  mar- 
velous usefulness.  There  is  something  amusing  at  times  in  the 
readiness  with  which  the  most  eminent  men  of  the  clergy  and 
laity  circle  round  the  little  blunt  man,  and  do  his  bidding  with 
meekness  and  alacrity.  All  this  he  does  so  unassumingly  and 
naturally,  and  with  such  excellent  judgment  and  purpose,  that  all 
seem  cheerfully  to  acknowledge  his  control  and  mastery  in  the 
prosecution  of  the  Lord's  work. 

Much  has  been  said  of  his  great  physical  stamina,  which 
serves  like  a  solid  foundation  for  the  weight  and  working  of  a 
massive  engine.  He  can  endure  gigantic  labors,  such  as  ordinary 
men  would  quickly  break  down  under,  and  be  as  fresh  as  a  vig- 
orous boy.  This  firm  constitution  was  established  among  the 
hills  of  old  Massachusetts,  by  the  hard  labors  incident  to  the  life 
of  a  farmer's  boy  who  toils  all  summer  to  gather  scanty  nourish- 
ment from  the  rugged  bosom  of  nature,  and  plows  his  way  among 
the  snowdrifts  to  pick  up  the  elements  of  an  education  in  the 
drill  of  the  school-house.  This  is  severe  training,  but  it  gives 
physical  vigor,  and  makes  great  achievements  possible  to  the 
hardy  men  whose  ambition  pushes  them  out  into  enterprises  of 
pith  and  moment.  These  early  hardships  go  against  the  grain, 
and  boys  deplore  them,  and  wish  they  could  have  the  easy  times 
that  many  others  enjoy,  not  knowing  that  if  they  accept  their  lot, 
and  work  up  through  and  out  of  it  to  something  higher  and 
better,  they  will  have  no  regrets  for  their  harsh  discipline  and 
manly  training.  Any  less  thorough  grounding  in  the  flesh,  in  the 
body,  the  muscular  and  nervous  forces,  would  be  so  m^uch  taken 
from  their  power  to  do  and  to  enjoy  in  after  years. 

Moody's  success  in  his  spiritual  work  is  largely  due  to  his 


378  MOODY   AND    SANKEY. 

corporal  manhood,  which  grew  while  his  mind  was  comparatively 
asleep,  and  no  dissipation  enervated  his  nerves. 

The  boy's  high  spirits  and  destiny  led  him  to  dash  out  from 
the  quiet  home  in  the  country ;  and,  as  he  had  an  uncle  in  Bos- 
ton, he  went  there  to  enter  upon  a  business  life.  After  several 
ineffectual  attempts  to  find  a  place  for  himself,  he  ventured  to 
consult  his  uncle,  who  kindly  took  him  into  his  employ  under 
certain  restrictions  and  conditions,  one  of  which  was  that  he 
should  attend  the  Mt.  Vernon  Church  where  his  religious  training 
was  certain  to  be  carefully  and  wisely  directed.  Here  the  noble 
pastor  was  Rev.  E.  N.  Kirk,  of  evangelistic  tendencies  and  ear- 
nest piety.  What  can  be  wiser  for  young  men  thus  thrown  into 
the  turmoil  of  city  life,  than  to  seek  the  influence  of  a  Christian 
Church  with  its  intellectual  pastor  and  devoted  membership?  It 
is  a  splendid  school  for  mind  and  morals,  as  well  as  a  source  of 
benefit  in  a  spiritual  sense.  Mr.  Moody  was  connected  with 
Edward  Kimball's  Bible  class,  where  he  found  abundant  sugges- 
tions for  thought  and  inquiry.  His  ignorance  of  the  Scriptures 
was  only  equalled  by  his  general  want  of  intelligence.  He  had 
wasted  his  few  opportunities  of  improvement,  and  appeared  at 
great  disadvantage  among  the  well  educated  youth  of  this  popular 
church.  Yet  such  impressions  were  made  on  his  uncultured 
mind  and  sensitive  heart,  that  he  soon  found  salvation  through 
the  blood  of  Christ.  But  the  account  he  gave  of  himself  was 
not  sufficiently  clear  to  warrant  experienced  Christians  in  admit- 
ting him  to  the  communion  of  the  church.  He  kept  on  his  way, 
and  made  constant  endeavors  to  let  his  light  shine,  though  some- 
times rebuked  for  his  forwardness.  So  poorly  was  he  prepared 
to  speak  in  meetings  of  intelligent  people,  that  his  pastor  kindly 
advised  him  not  to  attempt  it  till  he  had  learned  more.  The 
irrepressible  ardor  of  his  soul  burned  to  deliver  its  message,  and 
drove  him  away  from  Boston.  Turning  his  eyes  toward  the  Great 
West,  he  resolved  to  go  to  Chicago,  the  future  scene  of  his 
noblest  triumphs  and  severest  trials.  He  arrived  there  in  Sep- 
tember, 1856.  It  was  easy  for  him  to  obtain  a  situation,  with 
his  Eastern  recommendations,  where  he  could  earn  a  living  j  and 


HISTORY    OF    THEIR    EARLY  LIFE.  379 

once  fixed  in  that,  his  habits  and  industry  won  the  confidence 
of  his  employers. 

While  Mr.  Moody  was  obliged  to  enter  into  secular  business 
in  Chicago,  he  did  not  secularize  himself  and  become  worldly. 
Many  young  men  lose  their  balance,  and  fall,  by  submitting  to 
the  love  of  money ;  whereas,  if  they  would  instantly  offset  the 
worldliness  of  the  weekday  work,  by  earnest  Sabbath  devotion 
and  religious  toil,  they  would  neutralize  the  evil  of  business  and 
climb  up  the  golden  ladder  that  raises  the  soul  to  Heaven.  That 
such  was  young  Moody's  plan  the  following  record  of  one  of 
his  biographers  will  show  : 

"  On  Sunday  he  sought  out  a  Mission  Sunday-school,  and 
offered  his  services  as  a  teacher.  He  was  informed  that  the 
school  had  a  full  supply  of  teachers,  but  if  he  would  gather  a 
class,  he  might  occupy  a  seat  in  the  school-room.  The  next 
Sabbath  he  appeared  with  eighteen  boys,  and  a  place  was  as- 
signed him  for  his  new  and  rough  recruits.  This  was  the  be- 
ginning of  his  mission  to  '  the  masses.'  On  that  day  he 
unfolded  his  theory  of  how  '  to  reach  the  masses  ' — '  Go  for 
them.' 

"Soon  after,  he  commenced  the  'North  Market  Hall  Mis- 
sion-school.' The  old  market-hall  was  used  on  Saturday  nights 
for  dancing ;  and  after  the  motley  crowd  had  dispersed,  Mr. 
Moody  and  his  associates  spent  the  late  hours  of  Saturday 
night  and  the  early  hours  of  Sunday  morning  in  removing  the 
sawdust  and  filth,  cleansing  the  floor,  and  putting  the  room  in 
order  for  their  Christian  work.  The  repetition  of  this  kind  of 
labor  week  after  week  was  obviously  not  very  agreeable  ;  but 
it  vvas  cheerfully  rendered  by  a  young  man  who  lived  for  one 
object — the  salvation  of  souls.  In  this  hall  the  school  was 
held  for  six  years,  and  increased  to  over  one  thousand  mem- 
bers. Many  were  brought  to  Jesus  ;  and  the  work  was  carried 
forward  amidst  marked  encouragements  and  discouragements. 

"  Finding  it  extremely  difficult  to  hold  prayer-meetings  or 
Sabbath-evening  services  in  this  hall,  Mr.  Moody  rented  a 
saloon  that  would  accommodate  about  two  hundred  persons. 
He  boarded  up  the  side  windows,  and  furnished  it  with  un- 
painted  pine-board  seats.     It  was  a  dismal,  unventilated  place. 


380  MOODY    AND    SANKEY. 

and  during  service  it  was  necessary  to  have  policemen  to  guard 
the  door  and  building.  Here  he  collected  the  poor  and  the 
vicious  ;  and  sought,  by  melting  appeals  and  fervent  prayer's, 
to  lead  hardened  sinners  to  abandon  their  evil  courses,  and 
accept  the  offers  of  salvation." 

Says  another:  "The  man  who  maybe  q.?^^A^  par  excellence, 
the  Lightning  Christian  of  the  Lightning  City  is  Mr.  Moody, 
the  President  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association,  and  a 
man  whose  name  is  a  household  word  in  connection  with  mis- 
sionary work.  I  went  to  one  of  his  mission  schools,  and  have 
rarely  beheld  such  a  scene  of  high-pressure  evangelization.  It 
made  me  think  irresistibly  of  those  breathing  steamboats  on 
the  Mississippi,  that  must  either  go  fast  or  burst.  Mr.  Moody 
himself  moved  energetically  about  the  school  most  of  the  time, 
seeing  that  every  body  was  at  work,  throwing  in  a  word  where 
he  thought  it  necessary,  and  inspiring  every  one  with  his  own 
enthusiasm. 

''As  soon  as  the  classes  had^been  going  on  for  a  specific 
number  of  minutes,  he  mounted  a  platform,  rang  a  bell,  and 
addressed  the  children.  He  is  a  keen,  dark-eyed  man,  with  a 
somewhat  shrill  voice,  but  with  thorough  earnestness  of  manner 
and  delivery.  His  remarks  were  few,  but  pointed  and  full  of 
interrogation,. keeping  the  children  on  their  mettle.  It  is  one 
of  his  first  principles,  never,  in  any  of  the  religious  exercises,  to 
allow  the  interest  or  attention  of  the  audience  to  flag  for  an 
instant.  At  a  great  religious  convention  held  at  Chicago  to 
which  five  hundred  delegates  came  from  all  parts  of  the  United 
States,  he  got  a  resolution  passed  that  no  one  should  be  al- 
lowed more  than  three  minutes  for  his  speech.  The  result  wns 
that  an  immense  number  got  an  opportunity  for  speaking,  and  an 
admirable  check  was  put  on  the  American  tendency  to  copious 
flowery  oratory.  Every  man  had  to  dash  in  medias  res,  at 
once,  say  what  he  had  to  say  without  loss  of  words,  and  leave 
out  all  minor  points  to  get  time  for  the  points  of  most  impor- 
tance. One  or  two  of  Moody's  remarks  were,  *  Services  are 
not  made  interesting  enough,  so  as  to  get  unconverted  people 
to  come.     They  are  not  expected  to  come,  and  people  would 


HISTORY   OF    THEIR    EARLY    LIFE.  381 

be  mortified  if  they  did  come.  Don't  get  into  a  rut.  I  abomi- 
nate ruts.     There  are  few  things  that  I  dread  more.' 

"Though  earnest  in  his  piety,  and  full  of  religious  conversa 
tion,  Moody  has  no  patience  with  mere  cant,  and  wants  every 
body  to  prove  his  sincerity  by  his  acts.  At  a  meeting  in  behalf 
of  a  struggling  charity,  a  wealthy  layman,  loud  in  his  religious 
professions,  offered  up  a  prayer  that  the  Lord  would  move  the 
hearts  of  the  jDcople  to  contribute  the  sum  required.  Mr. 
Moody  rose,  and  said  that  all  the  charity  wanted  was  only  two 
thousand  dollars,  and  that  he  considered  it  absurd  for  a  man 
with  half  a  million  to  get  up  and  ask  the  Lord  to  do  any  thing 
in  the  matter,  when  he  could  himself,  with  a  mere  stroke  of  his 
pen,  do  all  that  was  needed,  and  ten  times  more,  and  never 
feel  the  difference. 

"The  first  thing  Mr.  Moody  does  with  those  whom  he 
succeeds  in  bringing  under  Christian  influences  is,  to  turn  them 
to  account  in  pushing  on  the  good  work.  He  considers  no 
place  too  bad,  no  class  too  hardened,  to  be  despaired  of.  He 
sometimes  takes  a  choir  of  young  people,  well  trained  in  singing, 
to  the  low  drinking  saloons,  to  help  him  in  wooing  the  drunk- 
ards and  gamblers  away  to  the  meetings.  On  one  such  occa- 
sion, which  was  described  to  me,  he  entered  one  of  these  dens 
with  his  choir,  and  said,  '  Would  you  like  to  have  a  song,  gen- 
tlemen }  "  No  objection  was  offered,  and  the  children  sung  a 
patriotic  song  in  fine  style,  eliciting  great  applause.  Mr.  Moody 
then  had  a  hymn  sung  by  them,  and  meanwhile  went  round 
giving  tracts  to  those  present.  When  the  hymn  was  over  he  said, 
'  We  shall  now  have  a  word  of  prayer.'  'No,  no,'  cried  several 
in  alarm,  'no  prayer  here.'  'Oh  yes,  we'll  have  a  few  words 
of  prayer.  Quiet  for  a  minute,  gentlemen,'  he  said,  and  pro- 
ceeded to  offer  up  a  few  earnest  petitions.  Some  of  the  men 
were  touched  ;  and  when  he  invited  them  to  go  with  him  to  his 
meeting  and  hear  more  about  salvation,  half  of  them  rose  and 
went.  It  is  believed  that  if  Pandemonium  were  accessible,  Mr. 
Moody  would  have  a  mission  started  there  within  a  week." 

Mr.  Reynolds  of  Peoria  said  recently,  as  if  in  illustration  of 
this  last  remark : 


§82  MOODY   AND   SANKEY. 

*'The  first  meeting  I  ever  saw  him  at  was  in  a  little  old 
shanty  that  had  been  abandoned  by  a  saloon-keeper.  Mr. 
Moody  had  got  the  place  to  hold  the  meeting  in  at  night.  I 
vvent  there  a  little  late  ;  and  the  first  thing  I  saw  was  a  man 
standing  up,  with  a  few  tallow  candles  around  him,  holding  a 
negro  boy,  and  trying  to  read  to  him  the  story  of  the  Prodigal 
Son  ;  and  a  great  many  of  the  words  he  could  not  make  out,  and 
had  to  skip.  I  thought.  If  the  Lord  can  ever  use  such  an 
instrument  as  that  for  his  honor  and  glory,  it  will  astonish  me. 
After  that  meeting  was  over  Mr.  Moody  said  to  me,  '  Reynolds, 
I  have  got  only  one  talent :  I  have  no  education,  but  I  love  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  I  want  to  do  something  for  Him  ;  and 
I  want  you  to  pray  for  me.'  I  have  never  ceased  from  that  day 
to  this,  morning  and  night,  to  pray  for  that  devoted  Christian 
soldier.  I  have  watched  him  since  then,  have  had  counsel  with 
him,  and  know  him  thoroughly ;  and,  for  consistent  walk  and 
conversation,  I  have  never  met  a  man  to  equal  him.  It  astounds 
me  when  I  look  back  and  see  what  Mr.  Moody  was  thirteen 
years  ago,  and  then  what  he  is  under  God  to-day — shaking 
Scotland  to  its  very  centre,  and  reaching  now  over  to  Ireland. 

'•  The  last  time  I  heard  from  him,  his  injunction  was,  '  Pray 
for  me  every  day  ;  pray  now  that  God  will  keep  me  humble.' " 

"  I  shall  always  remember  Mr.  Moody,"  says  one  ;  "for  he 
was  the  means  of  leading  me  to  Christ.  I  was  in  a  railway 
train  one  day,  when  a  stout,  cheery-looking  stranger  came  in 
and  sat  down  in  the  seat  beside  me.  We  were  passing  through 
a  beautiful  country,  to  which   he  called  my  attention,  saying, — 

"'Did  you  ever  think  what  a  good  Heavenly  Father  we 
have,  to  give  us  such  a  pleasant  world  to  live  in  ? ' 

"  I  made  some  indifferent  answer  ;  upon  which  he  earnestly 
inquired, — 

"  '  Are  you  a  Christian  ? ' 

"I  answered,  '  No.' 

"  '  Then,'  said  he,  '  you  ought  to  be  one  at  once.  I  am  to 
get  off  at  the  next  station,  but  if  you  will  kneel  down,  right  here, 
I  will. pray  to  the  Lord  to  make  you  a  Christian.' 

*' Scarcely  knowing  what   I   did,  I  knelt  down  beside  him 


HISTORY   OF   THEIR   EARLY   LIFE.  383 

there,  in  the  car  filled  with  passengers,  and  he  prayed  for  me 
with  all  his  heart.  Just  then  the  train  drew  up  at  the  station, 
and  he  had  only  time  to  get  off  before  it  started  again. 

''  Suddenly  coming  to  myself  out  of  what  seemed  more  like 
a  dream  than  a  reality,  I  rushed  out  on  the  car  platform,  and 
shouted  after  him,  '  Tell  me  who  you  are  !  ' 

"  He  replied,  '  My  name  is  Moody.' 

"  I  never  could  shake  off  the  conviction  which  then  took 
hold  upon  me,  until  the  strange  man  was  answered,  and  I  had 
become  a  Christian  man." 

Thus  he  wrought  with  men  wherever  he  could  find  open 
ears  to  hear  the  message  of  salvation,  whether  in  the  saloon, 
the  railway  car,  the  mission  building  or  the  sanctuary. 

His  soul  being  intent  on  saving  men,  he  knew  that  by 
joining  others  in  his  Christian  enterprises  he  would  thus  vastly 
multiply  his  usefulness.  He  accordingly  made  himself  a  recruit- 
ing agent  for  his  school,  and  brought  the  neglected  multitudes 
of  the  North  side  into  classes  taught  by  such  helpers  as  he  could 
yoke  up  with  himself.  The  population  of  his  district  was  largely 
made  up  of  Germans  and  other  foreigners,  who  are  accustomed 
to  a  Sabbath  not  of  the  Puritanic  but  rather  the  Satanic  sort. 

Sunday  is  the  day  devoted  by  many  to  concerts,  balls,  and 
pleasure  generally.  Mr.  Moody  saw  that  to  succeed  in  such  a 
population,  a  school  must  be  exceedingly  lively  and  attractive, 
and  as  he  observed  that  the  Germans  made  constant  use  of 
music  in  their  meetings,  he  was  led  to  consider  v/hether  music 
might  not  be  employed  somewhat  prominently  in  the  service  of 
Christ.  Not  being  himself  a  singer,  he  got  a  friend  who  could 
sing  to  help  him,  and  for  the  first  few  evenings  the  time  was 
spent  between  singing  hymns  and  telling  stories  to  the  children, 
so  as  to  awaken  their  interest  and  induce  them  to  return.  A 
hold  having  in  this  way  been  established,  the  school  was  divided 
into  classes,  and  conducted  more  in  the  usual  way. 

This  school  became  the  basis  of  wider  operations.  After  a 
time  a  lively  interest  in  divine  things  began  to  appear  among  the 
cbiildren.  This  led  to  the  holding  of  meetings  every  night,  and 
to  the  offering  of  prayers  and  delivery  of  addresses  suitable  to 


384  MOODY   AND   SANKEY. 

the  circumstances  of  the  children.  These  meetings  began  tc 
be  attended  also  by  the  parents,  some  of  whom  shared  the 
blessing.  It  may  be  stated  here  that  some  of  those  young  per- 
sons who  were  converted  at  this  time,  remain  to  the  present 
day  the  most  valuable  and  active  coadjutors  in  the  work  with 
which  Mr.  Moody  is  associated  in  Chicago. 

In  most  cases  neither  the  children  nor  their  parents  had 
hitherto  been  connected  with  any  Christian  church.  Mr. 
Moody  began  to  find  himself  constrained  to  supply  them  with 
spiritual  food.  At  first  he  encouraged  them  to  connect  them- 
selves with  other  congregations.  But  it  was  found  that  in  these 
they  were  next  to  lost  or  swallowed  up :  they  felt  themselves 
strangers,  sometimes  unwelcome  strangers,  while  they  lost  all 
the  benefit  of  neighborhood,  mutual  interest,  and  combination 
in  the  worship  of  God.  Gradually,  therefore,  Mr.  Moody  felt 
shut  up  to  taking  charge  of  them,  and  supplying  them  with 
Christian  instruction.  Both  school  and  church  continued  to 
increase,  the  school  amounting  to  about  a  thousand,  and  suit- 
able buildings  were  erected  through  the  liberality  of  friends. 
Mr.  Moody  had  by  this  time  given  up  business,  so  that  he 
might  be  free  to  give  his  whole  time  and  attention  to  the  work. 
As  he  felt  himself  called  by  the  Lord  to  this  step,  he  resolved 
to  decline  all  salary  or  allowance  from  any  quarter,  and  trust 
for  his  maintenance  solely  to  what  it  might  be  put  into  the 
hearts  of  God's  people  to  contribute.  Being  quite  destitute  of 
private  means,  this  resolution  showed  that  his  faith  in  a  divine 
call  to  give  himself  to  Christian  work  was  capable  of  bearing  a 
great  strain.  At  the  same  time,  while  adopting  this  course  for 
himself,  he  has  never  pressed  it  upon  others,  unless  they  should 
clearly  see  it  to  be  their  duty.  And  while  believing  himself 
called  to  a  kind  of  supplementary  work  in  the  ministry,  he  is 
very  far  from  prescribing  the  same  r'le  to  others.  On  the  con- 
trary, he  is  the  steady  friend  of  a  regular  ministry,  being  fully 
persuaded  that  in  "  ordaining  elders  in  every  city,"  the  apostles 
meant  to  set  up  the  permanent  platform  of  the  Christian 
Church. 

Mr.  Moody  had  acquired  a  position  of  much  influence  in 


HISTORY    OF    THEIR    EARLY    LIFE.  385 

Ihe  United  States  in  connection  with  Sunday-schools  and  mis- 
sion work  when  the  war  broke  out  between  North  and  South. 
This  led  to  a  new  turn  being  given  to  his  labors.  There  was  a 
large  camp  in  the  neighborhood  of  Chicago,  to  which  he  gave 
much  attention,  going  there  night  after  night  and  striving  to  bring 
the  soldiers  under  the  influence  of  divine  grace.  When  the 
Christian  Commission  was  organized,  under  the  presidency  of  his 
friend,  George  H.  Stuart,  of  Philadelphia,  Mr.  Moody  became 
one  of  his  most  energetic  coadjutors.  He  did  not  go  into  the 
army  as  an  agent  of  the  Commission,  but  he  was  President  of 
the  Executive  branch  for  Chicago,  and  nine  different  times  he 
went  to  one  or  other  of  the  scenes  of  warfare,  remaining  some 
weeks  and  working  with  all  his  might.  These  services  with 
the  army  w^ere  of  no  little  use,  not  only  in  producing  direct 
fruit,  but  also  in  developing  that  prompt  and  urgent  method  of 
dealing  with  men,  that  strenuous  endeavor  to  get  them  to  accept 
immediate  salvation,  which  is  still  so  conspicuous  a  feature  of 
his  mode  of  address.  With  wounded  men  hovering  between 
life  and  death,  or  with  men  in  march,  resting  for  an  evening  in 
some  place  which  they  were  to  leave  to-morrow,  it  was  plainly, 
so  far  at  least  as  he  was  concerned,  the  alternative  of ''now 
or  never  ;  "  and  as  he  could  not  allow  himself  nor  allow  them  to 
be  satisfied  wilh  the  "  never,"  he  bent  his  wdiole  energies  to  the 
"now." 

In  all  this  work  Mr.  Moody  bore  an  important  and  honora- 
ble part.  His  frequent  excursions  to  battle-fields  and  camps 
made  him,  more  than  any  other  man,  the  medium  of  communi- 
cation between  the  work  in  the  army  and  the  work  at  home. 
He  was  on  the  field  after  the  battles  of  Pittsburgh  Landing, 
Shiloh,  and  Murfreesboro',  with  the  army  at  Cleveland  and 
Chattanooga,  and  was  one  of  the  first  to  enter  Richmond, 
where  he  ministered  alike  to  friend  and  foe.' 

The  war  being  ended,  Mr.  Moody  had  more  time  to 
develop  his  work  in  Chicago. 

To  set  others  to  w^ork  in  the  vineyard  had  long  been  one 
of  his  chief  aims,  and  by  means  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association,  in  which  he   took  a  great   interest,  he   was  highly 
17 


386  MOODY    AND    SANKEY. 

successful.  Mr.  Moody  strove  to  inspire  the  Cliicago  Associa- 
tion with  his  own  spirit,  and  to  send  them  to  work  in  the  vine- 
yard. The  hall  of  the  association  became  one  of  the  stated 
scenes  of  his  own  labors.  Tlie  association  was  very  unfortunate 
in  the  matter  of  fires — its  first  building  having  been  burnt  down 
in  1867,  and  its  second  in  the  great  fire  of  Chicago  in  187 1. 
According  to  Mr.  David  Macrae,  "  the  lightning  city  "  showed 
such  activity  of  movement  that  the  money  fo;-  the  second  build- 
ing was  all  subscribed  before  the  fire  had  completed  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  first.  This,  we  believe,  is  somewhat  hyperbolical  ; 
but  in  sober  truth,  the  arrangements  for  the  restoration  of  the 
building  after  the  first  fire  were  made  with  wonderful  rapidity. 
The  new  building  contained  a  hall  of  enormous  size.  Mr. 
Moody  was  accustomed  to  preach  to  his  own  people  in  the 
morning,  to  superintend  a  Sunday-school  of  about  a  thousand 
in  the  afternoon,  and  to  preach  again  in  the  evening  in  the  hall 
of  the  Young  Men's  Association. 

In  October,  187 1,  occurred  the  terrible  fire  which  destroyed 
a  great  part  of  Chicago.  Mr.  Moody,  with  his  wife  and  two 
children,  was  roused  in  the  middle  of  the  night  to  find  the  fierce 
fire  approaching  their  dwelling,  and  leaving  his  house  and 
household  gear  to  their  fate  (all  the  property  he  possessed),  had 
to  hurry  along  to  seek  shelter  in  the  houses  of  friends.  Mr. 
Moody's  school  and  church,  as  well  as  the  buildings  of  the 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association,  perished  likewise  in  the 
conflagration.  The  feelings  of  himself  and  his  fellow-citizens, 
on  going  to  see  the  ruins,  can  hardly  be  conceived.  But  after 
the  first  stunning  sensation  was  over,  faith  and  hope  revived. 
In  one  month  after  the  fire,  a  temporary  erection  was  com- 
pleted !  No  small  energy  must  have  been  required  to  accom- 
plish this,  amid  the  confusion,  the  bustle,  and  the  infinity  of 
things  that  had  to  be  attended  to.  But  reared  the  wooden 
building  was,  and  it  has  served  the  purpose  of  church  and 
school,  till  a  new  and  substantial  building  has  been  erected. 

When  things  h^d  settled  down  after  the  Chicago  fire,  Mr. 
Moody  began  to  think  of  permanent  premises  for  his  school  and 
church.     A   suitable  site   was  secured,  and  it  was  resolved  to 


liiilii 


■    i|llffiiiililita 


11 


^m 


xmm 


HISTORY    OF    THEIR    EARLY    LIFE.  387 

proceed  with  the  erection  of  a  large  and  commodious  buildings 
which,  besides  accommodation  for  the  schools,  will  have  a  hall 
or  church,  containing  sittings  for  2,500.  The  cost  of  the  whole 
will  be  about  $100,000.  Mr.  Moody,  by  his  disinterested  labors, 
has  made  so  many  friends  all  over  his  country  that  the  contri- 
butions have  flow^ed  freely  from  all  parts.  Among  the  most 
interesting  was  a  colossal  subscription  from  500,000  Sabbath- 
school  children,  of  five  cents  each,  all  anxious  to  have  a  brick 
in  Mr.  Moody's  tabernacle.  From  Pekin  he  received  a  contri- 
bution of  $300  from  an  unknown  friend.  A  few  converted 
Chinamen  collected  a  few  dollars  even  from  their  Pagan 
countrymen. 

Mr.  Moody  was  now  so  well  known  that  invitations  to  hold 
or  address  meetings  poured  in  upon  him  from  all  parts  of  the 
country,  and  his  connection  with  the  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association  gave  him  prominence,  and  won  him  hosts  of  influ- 
ential friends.  He  saw  that  he  could  be  more  useful  in  widen- 
ing his  sphere  of  labor,  and  this  also  induced  him  to  cross  the 
sea,  and  catch  the  inspiration  from  earnest  hearts  in  England, 
where  piety  runs  deeper  than  it  usually  does  in  our  active  com- 
munities. A  large  number  of  his  congregation  in  Chicago  were 
also  Britons,  and  this  circumstance  gave  him  an  introduction 
to  the  scenes  where  he  has  won  his  splendid  triumphs. 

Twice  has  Mr.  Moody  visited  England,  and  become  known 
by  his  preaching  and  by  organizing  a  daily  prayer-meeting  in  Lon- 
don. His  heart  was  won  by  young  Harry  Morehouse,  who  gave 
him  many  beautiful  lessons  in  preaching  by  his  example,  and 
also  encouraged  him  in  those  Bible  readings  which  have 
made  him  a  power  for  good  in  many  cities  and  communi- 
ties at  home  and  abroad.  Morehouse  and  Varley  were  chosen 
friends  of  the  x\merican  Evangelist,  and  they  welcomed  him  to 
their  own  country  with  hearty  enthusiasm.  Mr.  Varley  relates 
that  : 

"  On  visiting  at  a  friend's  house  with  Mr.  Moody  in  England 
some  years  ago,  I  said  to  him,  '  It  remains  for  the  world  to  see 
what  the  Lord  can  do  with  a  man  wholly  consecrated  to  Christ. 
Mr.  Moody  soon  returned  to  America,  but  those  words  clung 


388  MOODY   AND    SANxKEY. 

to  him  with  such  power  that  he  was  induced  to  return  to  Eng- 
land, and  commenced  that  wonderful  series  of  labors  in  Scot- 
land and  England  in  which  he  is  still  engaged.  Mr.  Moody 
said  to  me  on  returning  to  England,  '  Those  were  the  words 
of  the  Lord,  through  your  lips,  to  my  soul'  " 

Mr.  Moody  also  passed  through  some  marvellous  religious 
experiences  that  roused  him  to  attempt  great  things  for  God, 
so  that  when  asked  why  he  was  going  to  England  a  third  time, 
he  answered,  "to  win  ten  thousand  souls  for  Christ."  He  had 
no  means  to  go  with,  but  having  felt  called  of  God  to  enter 
upon  his  tour,  he  prepared  for  it  as  if  the  money  was  already 
in  hand.  And  up  to  the  very  eve  of  his  departure  he  knew 
not  where  the  money  was  coming  from  to  pay  his  passage. 
Then  a  gentleman  came  to  him,  and  said  he  thought  he  might 
need  funds  after  he  got  to  England,  and  placed  in  his  hands 
live  hundred  dollars. 

Mr.  Moody's  financial  condition  after  the  Great  Fire  was 
well  shown  by  an  incident  that  occurred  the  following  Sunday 
night.  He  had  been  invited  by  Dr.  Goodspeed,  the  pastor 
of  the  Second  Baptist  church,  to  preach  for  him.  This  invita- 
tion v;as  conveyed  to  him  by  his  brother-in-law  W.  H.  Holden 
Esq.,  Superintendent  of  the  S.  S.  of  the  Second  church,  and 
accepted.  After  sermon,  the  pastor  offered  him  ten  dollars 
with  the  remark,  "this  is  all  I  have."  "Then,"  said  Mr.  M., 
"  I  won't  take  but  half  of  it,  though  I  have  not  one  cent."  An 
immense  congregation  greeted  the  preacher,  and  Dr.  Robert 
Patterson,  who  was  present,  remarked  that  there  was  more 
Gospel  in  that  sermon  than  in  half  a  dozen  ordinary  ones. 
His  Bible  which  he  had  snatched  from  the  flames,  he  left  on  the 
desk,  and  the  pastor  finding  it  there  examined  it  with  care,  and 
observed  with  wonder  how  thoroughly  and  faithfully  it  had 
been  studied,  as  was  shown  by  the  ink  marks  it  bore  on 
almost  every  page.  He  had  been  wont  to  rise  before  day,  and 
give  himself  with  absolute  devotion  to  the  prayerful  conscien- 
tious study  of  that  Divine  Manual  of  instruction  for  the 
preacher's  work.  Going  frrth  clad  in  the  panoply  of  God,  he 
has  filled   the  world  with   his  fame  as  a  herald  of  Christ,  who 


HISTORY    OF    THEIR    EARLY    LIFE.  389 

has  honored  him  with  power  over  men  for  salvation  such  as 
few  of  the  world's  heroes  and  saints  have  ever  had. 

What  are  the  elements  of  Mr.  Moody's  power  ?     He  is  not 
a  man  of  much  education  or  culture ;  his  manner  is  abrupt  and 
blunt ;  his   speech   bristles   with  Americanisms  ;   his  voice    is 
sharp,  rapid,  and  colloquial ;  and  he  never  attempts  anything 
like  finished  or  elaborate  composition.     But  he  is  in  downright 
earnest.     He  believes  what  he  says  ;  he  says  it  as  if  he  believed 
it,  and  he  expects  his  audience  to  believe  it.     He  gets  wonder- 
fully near  to  his  hearers,  without  any  apparent  effort.     What- 
ever size  the  audience  may  be,  he  is  at  home  with  them  at  once, 
and  he  makes  them  feel  that  they  are  at  home  with  him.     He  is 
gifted  with  a  rare  sagacity,  an  insight  into  the  human  heart,  a 
knowledge    of  what  is  stirring  in  it,  and    of  what  is  fitted  to 
impress  it.     He  has  in  his  possession   a   large  number  of  inci- 
dents and  experiences  well  fitted  to  throw  light  on  the  points  he 
employs  them  to  elucidate,  and  to   clench  the  appeals  which  he 
uses  them  to  enforce.     In  addition  to  all  this,  he  has  a  deeply 
pathetic  vein,  which  enables  him  to  plead  very  earnestly  at  the 
very  citadel  of  the  heart.     At  first  his  tone   may  seem  to  be 
hard.     He  will  take  for  his  text,  "There  is  no  difference,"  and 
press  the  doctrine  of  universal  condemnation  as  if  the  worst  and 
the  best  were  precisely  alike.     Possibly  the  antagonism  of  his 
audience  is  somewhat  roused.     But  by  and  by  he  will  take  them 
with  him   to  some  affecting  death-bed,  and  his  tone  will  show 
how  profoundly  his  own  heart  is  stirred  by  what  is  happening 
there.     The  vein  of  pathos  comes  out  tenderly  and  beautifully. 
He  seems  as  if  he  were  lying  on  the  ground  pleading  in  tears 
with  his  hearers  to  come  to  Christ.     But,  most  important  of 
all,  he    seems    to    rely  for  effect  absolutely  on    divine   power. 
Of  course,    every   true    preacher   does,   but  in   very    different 
degrees  of  conscious  trust  and  expectation.     Mr.  Moody  goes 
to  his  meetings,  fully  expecting  the  divine  presence,  because  he 
has  asked  it.     He  speaks  with  the  fearlessness,  the  boldness, 
and  the  directness  of  one  delivering  a  message  from  the  King 
of  kings  and  Lord  of  lords.     And  he  takes  pains  to  have  his 
own  heart  in  the  spirit  of  the  message.     He  tries  to  go  to  his 


390  MOODY    AND    SANKEY. 

audience  loving  them,  and  actively  and  fervently  longing  for 
their  salvation.  He  says  that  if  he  does  not  try  to  stir  up  this 
spirit  of  love  beforehand,  he  cannot  get  hold  of  an  audience  ;  if 
he  does,  he  never  fails.  He  endeavors  to  address  them  with  a 
soul  steeped  in  the  corresponding  emotion.  He  seems  to  try, 
like  Baxter,  never  to  speak  of  weighty  soul  concerns  without 
his  whole  soul  being  drenched  therein. 

With  all  this,  there  is  in  Mr.  Moody  a  remarkable  natural- 
ness, a  want  of  all  approach  to  affectation  or  sanctimoniousness, 
and  even  a  play  of  humor  which  spurts  out  sometimes  in  his 
most  serious  addresses.  Doubtless  he  gets  the  tone  of  his 
system  restored  by  letting  out  the  humor  of  him  after  a  long 
day's  hard  and  earnest  work.  For  children  he  has  obviously  a 
great  affection,  and  they  draw  to  him  freely  and  pleasantly. 
We  should  fancy  him  a  famous  man  to  lead  a  Sunday-school 
excursion  party  to  the  country,  and  set  them  agoing  with  all 
manner  of  joyous  and  laughing  games.  We  are  sure  he 
himself  would  be  the  happiest  of  the  party,  enjoying  the  fun 
himself  as  well  as  pleased  at  their  enjoyment  of  it.  The  re- 
pression of  human  nature,  or  the  running  of  it  into  artificial 
moulds,  is  no  part  of  his  policy.  We  are  sure  he  must  agree 
with  the  late  Dr.  Guthrie,  that  there  is  nothing  bad  in  human 
nature  except  its  corruptions,  and  that  our  aim  should  be  not  to 
destroy  it  or  any  part  of  it,  but  to  get  it  restored,  as  God  at 
first  made  it.  His  instincts  of  sagacity  make  him  recoil  from 
all  one-sidedness,  and  desire  that  men  and  women,  under  God's 
grace,  should  hide  no  true  accomplishment,  and  lose  no  real 
charm. 

Speaking  of  his  preparation  for  Christ's  service,  one  tells  us 
of  a  prayer-meeting  where  he  and  others  offered  themselves  to 
Him  with  a  new  spirit  of  consecration.  •'  We  have  reason  to 
believe  that  at  that  time  Mr.  Moody  received  a  fresh  and  full 
baptism  of  the  Spirit,  and  that  this  was  the  divine  preparation 
in  his  soul  for  the  great  work  upon  which  all  Christendom 
looks  to-day  with  wonder  and  with  thanksgiving  to  God. 

Among  Mr.  Moody's  gifts  is  the  rare  one  of  bearing  rebuke 
with  Christian   meekness.     Some  time  before  the  period  just 


HISTORY   OF   THEIR    EARLY    LIFE.  39T 

referred  to,  a  person  met  him  and  said,  "  I  fear,  Brother 
Moody,  that  you  may  be  losing  some  of  your  humility  and 
religious  devotion,  and  with  these  your  power  in  Christ's 
service."  He  replied,  in  substance,  "  Perhaps  I  am  ;  I  will 
look  into  my  heart,  and  endeavor  to  humble  myself  before 
God." 

The  question  is  often  asked,  What  are  the  elements  of  Mr 
Moody's  power  ?  They  are  certainly  not  his  natural  gifts. 
They  flow  directly  from  Christ.  Filled  with  the  Spirit,  he 
seems  to  lose  sight  of  every  thing  but  the  message  of  his 
Master  to  perishing  sinners  ;  and  he  cannot  rest  until  they 
are  rescued  from  peril.  His  Heavenly  Father  is  around  him 
and  within  him,  pressing  him  every  moment  to  serve  him,  and 
to  think  of  nothing  else.  The  love  of  the  Saviour  pervades 
and  quickens  all  his  sensibilities,  and  is  the  atmosphere 
through  which  he  sees  his  fellow-men.  He  can  say  with  the 
apostle  Paul,  "  I  live  ;  yet  not  I,  but  Christ  liveth  in  me." 

Dr.    Van    Doren,  of  Chicago,  says:  "An    incident,  some 

twelve   years    ago,    occurred    at    the    city  of ,    where    the 

pastors  and  friends  of  a  revival  sought  were  assembled.  Mr. 
Moody,  as  his  manner  then  was,  laid  the  blame  of  spiritual 
coldness  on  the  church,  and  of  course  the  several  ministers 
present  felt  the  strokes. 

"  One  arose  and  brought  down  the  lash  on  what  he  called 
the  Pharisaic  display,  etc.,  and  repelled  the  charge.  Poor 
Marsyas  did  not  come  out  of  the  hands  of  Apollo  more 
thoroughly  flayed  alive  than  did  Brother  Moody  from  the  hands 
of  that  trenchant  speaker.  Instead  of  resentii^  it,  he  arose, 
and  trembling  with  emotion,  said,  '  I,  from  my  heart,  thank 
that  brother.  I  deserved  it ; '  and  then  asked  that  brother 
who  held  the  rod  "  to  pray  for  him.'  Every  heart  was  melted  ; 
and  v^'hen  that  prayer  was  ended,  not  one,  we  believe,  in  that 
vast  audience  but  was  willing  to  embrace  and  welcome  Brother 
Moody  from  that  moment  to  this. 

"  Secondly  :  Our  Brother  Moody  is  a  man  of  inextinguisha- 
ble zeal.  In  our  city  of  400,000  people  all  the  boys  of  this 
wicked    city  know  him,  and    respect  him   too.     A  short   time 


392  MOODY   AND    SANKEY. 

since,  while  distributing  tracts,  I  rebuked  some  boys  kindly  for 
profanity.  '  Say,  mister,  do  you  belong  to  Brother  Moody  ? ' 
At  one  time,  walking  in  the  crowded  South  Water  street  with 
a  friend,  he  met  a  knot  of  worldly  acquaintances.  Pausing  a 
moment — '  Friends,  we  may  never  meet  again.  Here  is  an 
alcove.  Let  us  have  a  prayer.'  Love  like  that  drew  them 
aside,  and  he  led,  all  standing.  Waving  his  hand,  and  with  an 
eye  beaming  with  tears,  he  passed  on  in  silence. 

"  Brother  Moody  is  a  firm  believer  in  God's  word.  It  is  a 
marvel  to  all  our  ministers,  that  while  so  many  educated  clergy- 
men in  the  Evangelical  Church  treat  the  Bible  as  Homer  or 
Plato,  he  practically  writes  over  every  verse,  '  TAus  saith  the 
Lord.''  Hence  he  has  avoided  all  those  crotchets  that  weaken 
and  deform  the  influence  of  many  good  preachers.  His  pro- 
found, adoring  love  of  the  Scriptures  has  led  some  to  think  that 
he  reads  nothing  else.  But,  like  Dr.  Johnson,  who  was  said 
'  to  take  the  heart  out  of  a  book,'  he  grasps  an  author's  plan 
and  illustrations  with  an  intuitive  glance. 

"Thirdly:  He  is  a  man  of  prayer.  This,  I  hold,  includes 
faith.  We  know  that  Luther  spent  half  the  night  in  prayer, 
at  times. 

"  When  President  Edwards  preached  that  memorable  ser- 
mon, '  Sinners  in  the  Hands  of  an  Angry  God,'  at  Enfield,  New 
England,  and  a  glorious  revival  began,  it  was  discovered,  by 
chance,  that  the  elders  of  the  church  had  speiit  the  whole  pre- 
vious night  in  prayer  for  a  descent  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

"  What  is  remarkable  with  Brother  Moody  is  that  the  Holy 
Ghost  seems  2s:\x!i?^y  to  precede  him,  as  the  cloudy  pillar  did 
Israel;  and  when  he  comes,  his  announcement  of  the  terms  of 
mercy  falls  on  open  ears  and  hearts." 

Before  we  accompany  this  beloved  brother  to  England,  we 
must  give  some  account  of  his  famous  coadjutor  the  sweet  singer, 

Ira  D.  Sankey. 

His  father's  family  were  English,  and  his  mother's  Scotch- 
Irish,  so  that  he  has  good  blood  in  him.  He  was  born  in  Edin- 
burgh, Pa.,  in  the  year  1840.     The  influences  of  his  home  were 


IRA   D.   SANKEY. 


HISTORY   OF   THEIR    EARLY   LIFE.  393 

spiritual,  and  there  was  an  earnest  Scotchman  to  whose  kindly 
offices  he  was  much  indebted.  In  a  speech  at  a  children's 
meeting,  Mr.  Sankey  says  of  this  good  man,  Fraser,  "The  very 
first  recollections  I  have  of  anything  pertaining  to  a  religious 
life  was  in  connection  with  him.  I  remember  he  took  me  by 
the  hand  along  with  his  own  boys  to  the  S.  S., — that  old 
place  which  I  will  remember  to  my  dying  day.  He  was  a  plain 
man,  and  I  can  see  him  standing  up  and  praying  for  the  chil- 
dren. He  had  a  great  warm  heart,  and  the  children  all  loved 
him.  It  was  years  after  that  when  I  was  converted,  but  my 
impressions  were  received  when  I  was  very  young,  from  that 
man."  He  was  seventeen  when  he  joined  the  M.  E.  church, 
and  at  twenty  lie  was  a  S.  S.  superintendent,  and  then  began 
to  sing,  as  an  attraction  to  the  children,  the  bright  melodies 
they  love.  He  developed  an  early  taste  for  the  Word  of  God, 
and  as  a  class-leader  encouraged  his  brethren  to  use  Bible  lan- 
guage in  their  remarks.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  for  the 
Union,  and  retained  his  faith  and  zeal  amidst  the  temptations 
of  army  life.  He  was  President  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  of  his  town 
of  Newcastle,  and  thus  came  into  contact  with  Mr.  Moody,  v.-ho 
at  first  sight  fell  in  love  with  his  style  of  singing,  and  felt 
drawn  toward  him  as  a  dear  brother.  He  also  made  overtures 
to  him  to  join  him  in  evangelizing  labors  at  Chicago  and  else- 
where. After  solemn  deliberation,  he  resolved  to  cast  off  all 
worldly  business,  and  devote  his  life  to  the  service  of  song. 
He  united  himself  with  Mr.  Moody  and  they  began  operations, 
with  Chicago  as  a  centre.  This  was  only  a  short  time  before 
the  city  was  burned  ;  the  church  of  Mr.  Moody's  gathering  was 
likely  to  be  broken  up.  But  this  calamity  was  averted  and 
Mr.  Sankey  ministered  to  the  flock,  while  Mr.  M.  was  absent. 
He  related  an  incident  in  Dundee  that  is  illustrative  of  the 
blessing  God  early  gave  his  labors. 

"  I  want  to  speak  a  word  about  singing,  not  only  to  the  little 
folks,  but  to  grown  people.  During  the  winter  after  the  great 
Chicago  fire,  when  the  place  was  built  up  with  little  frame 
houses  for  the  people  to  stay  in,  a  mother  sent  for  me  one  day 
to  come  and  see  her  little  child,  who  was  one  of  ©ur  Sabbath- 
*i7 


394  MOODV    AND    SANKEY. 

school  scholars.  I  remembered  her  very  well^  having  seen  hei 
in  the  meetings  very  frequently,  and  was  glad  to  go.  She  was 
lying  in  one  of  these  poor  little  huts,  everything  having  been 
burned  in  the  fire.  I  ascertained  that  she  was  past  all  hopes 
of  recovery,  and  that  they  were  waiting  for  the  little  one  to 
pass  away.  '  How  is  it  with  you  to-day  ? '  I  asked.  With  a 
beautiful  smile  on  her  face,  she  said,  '  It  is  all  well  with  me 
to-day.  I  wish  you  would  speak  to  my  father  and  mother.' 
'  But,'  said  I,  '  are  you  a  Christian  ? '  '  Yes.'  '  When  did  you 
become  one  ? '  '  Do  you  remember  last  Thursday,  in  the  Tab- 
ernacle, when  we  had  that  little  singing-meeting,  and  you  sung 
'Jesus  Loves  even  Me?'  'Yes.'  'It  was  last  Thursday  I 
believed  on  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  now  I  am  going  to  be  with  him 
to-day.'  That  testimony  from  that  little  child,  in  that  neglected 
quarter  of  Chicago,  has  done  more  to  stimulate  me  and  bring  me 
to  this  countr}^,  than  all  that  the  papers  or  any  persons  might 
say.  I  remember  the  joy  I  had  in  looking  upon  that  beautiful 
face.  She  went  up  to  heaven,  and  no  doubt  said  she  learned 
upon  the  earth  that  Jesus  loved  her_,  from  that  little  hymn.  If 
you  want  to  enjoy  a  blessing,  go  to  the  bedsides  of  these  bed- 
ridden and  dying  ones,  and  sing  to  them  of  Jesus,  for  they  can 
not  enjoy  these  meetings  as  you  do.  You  will  get  a  great  bless- 
ing to  your  own  soul." 

These  testimonies  have  been  frequent  since  those  humble 
beginnings,  and  Mr.  Sankey  has  proved  himself  only  less  gifted 
in  speech  than  in  song.  He  was  sought  by  others  as  a  com- 
panion in  evangelizing  towns,  but  providentially  clung  to  Mr. 
Moody  and  together  they  set  sail  for  the  old  world.  How 
admirably  he  was  adapted  to  meet  the  tastes  of  the  British,  the 
following  testimonies,  and  a  multitude  of  others  may  serve  to 
show. 

"  As  a  vocalist,  Mr.  Sankey  has  not  many  equals.  Pos- 
sessed of  a  voice  of  great  volume  and  richness,  he  expresses 
with  exquisite  skill  and  pathos  the  Gospel  message,  in  words 
very  simple,  but  '  replete  with  love  and  tenderness,'  and  always 
with  marked  effect  upon  his  audience.  It  is  however,  alto- 
gether a  mistake  to  suppose  that  the  blessing  which   attends 


HISTORY    OF    THEIR    EARLY    LIFE.  39^ 

Mr.  Sankey's  efforts  is  attributable  only  or  chiefiy  to  his  fine 
voice    and    artistic    expression.     These,    no    doubt,    are    very 
attractive,  and  go  far  to  move  the  affections  and  gratify  a  taste 
for  music  ;  but   the  secret  of  Mr.  Sanlcey's   power  lies,  not  in 
his  gift  of  song,  but  in  the  spirit  of  which  the  song  is  only  the 
expression.     He,  too,  is  a  man  in  earnest,  and  sings  in  the  full 
confidence  that  God  is  working  by  him.     Like  his  colleague,  he 
likewise  has  a  message  to  lost  men  from  God  the  Father ;  and 
the  Spirit  of  God  in  him  finds  a  willing  and  effective  instru 
ment  in   his  gift  of  song,  to    proclaim    in    stirring   notes    the 
'  mighty  love  '  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus.     '  It  was  a  few  evenings 
ago,'   said    a   youth    in    the  Young    Men's  iMeeting    in   Roby 
Chapel,   'when   Mr.    Sankey  was    singing  in    the  Free  Trade 
Hall  ''Jesus  of  Nazareth  passeth  by,"  that  I  was  made  to  feel 
my  need   of  a  Saviour  ;  and  when    he  came   to   these  words, 
"  Too  late,  too  late,"  I  said  to  myself  it  must  not  be  too  late 
for  me,  and  I  took  him  to  my  heart  there  and  then.'     '  I  was  in 
great  darkness  and  trouble  for  some  days,'  said  a  poor  woman, 
rejoicing  and   yet  weeping;  'and  just  a   little   time  ago,  when 
Mr.  Sankey  was  singing  these  words'  (pointing  to  them  with 
her   finger),    '"And   Jesus    bids    me    come,"  my   bonds   were 
broken  in  a  moment,  and  now  I  am  safe  in  his  arms.' 

"Who  ever  heard  of  a  fine  voice  and  sweet  music  yielding 
such  results  as  these.?  It  is  mere  scoffing  to  say  that  Mn 
Moody's  touching  stories  and  xMr.  Sankey's  sweet  singing  are 
the  secret  of  the  power  exercised  by  these  men.  The^'wo'^rk  is 
of  God,  and  they  are  his  instruments,  each  earnestly  using,  to 
the  best  of  his  ability,  the  gift  that  God  has  given  him,  in  the 
full  confidence  that  the  blessing  will  and  must  follow." 

"Not  a  few  have  been,  not  unnaturally,  offended  by  the 
phrase,  '  Singing  the  Gospel,'  which  was  at  first  used  in  adver- 
tisements;  and  some  have,  unfortunately,  never  taken  the 
trouble  to  inquire  what  was  meant.  But  every  one  who  has 
heard  Mr.  Sankey  sing  is  well  aware  that  his  hymns  are  more 
than  the  mere  accessory  to  speeches,  as  they  have  too  often 
been  among  us.  He  has  taught  by  example  how  great  is  the 
power  of  song  when  a  man  with  gifts  of  music  loves  the  truth 


396  MOODY   AND    SANKEY. 

of  which  he  sings;  and  the  hymns  which  we  have  heard  him 
sing,  with  his  wonderful  distinctness  of  articulation,  unaffected 
feeling,  and  magnificent  voice,  will  linger  in  our  ears  and  hearts 
till  our  dying  day.  A  few  weeks  have  made  his  favorite  hymns 
as  familiar  to  every  rank  and  to  every  age  as  those  older  hymns 
which  we  have  known  best  and  longest.  Poor  sufferers  in  the 
wards  of  the  infirmary,  lone  old  men  and  women  in  dark  rooms 
of  our  high  houses  and  back  streets,  are  now  cheered  in  a  way 
no  one  dreamed  of  before  Mr.  Sankey  came,  by  visits  from 
those  who  do  not  attempt  to  preach  to  them,  but  only  to  sing 
jDsalms  and  hymns  and  spiritual  songs.  The  consoling  power 
of  song  has  been  tested  and  proved  at  many  a  sick-bed,  and 
many  a  death-bed.  And  that  is  not  all  ;  for  we  have  been  led 
to  see  that  it  is  a  mistake  to  confine  song  to  utterances  of  praise 
or  prayer  in  Christian  meetings.  We  have  learned  to  value  more 
highly  its  power  in  instruction.  The  use  of  song  for  instruction 
and  for  the  application  of  the  truth  is  not  new.  It  is  as  old  as 
David,  as  old  as  Moses,  but  it  has  received  a  new  impetus 
among  us ;  and  we  who  are  called  to  '  teach  and  admonish  one 
another  in  psalms  and  hymns  and  spiritual  songs,'  may  well  be 
glad  to  have  been  reminded  how  this  may  be  done." 

"  The  admiration  of  Mr,  Sankey 's  music  is  enthusiastic. 
When  he  sings  a  solo  a  death-like  silence  reigns,  or,  as  the  Irish 
Tmies  describes  it,  '  It  seems  that  he  only  is  present  in  the  vast 
building.'  When  he  ceases  there  is  a  rustling  like  the  leaves 
of  a  forest  when  stirred  by  the  wind.  We  might  apply  to  him 
the  language  of  Scripture  :  ^  Lo  !  thou  art  unto  them  as  a  very 
lovely  song  of  one  who  hath  a  pleasant  voice,  and  can  play  well 
on  an  instrument.'  No  one  can  estimate  the  service  he  has 
rendered  to  the  Church  of  Christ  by  the  compilation  of  his  book 
of  '  Sacred  Songs  '  and  their  sweet  tunes.  They  are  the  delight 
of  all  ages.  I  have  heard  in  Scotland  that  already  they  are 
sung  in  our  most  distant  colonies.  Ere  long  I  believe  that 
they  will  be  sung  wherever  the  English  language  is  spoken  over 
the  earth.  Nor  will  they  be  confined  to  that  language,  for  a 
lady  is  at  present  engaged  in  translating  tbem  into  German. 


HISTORY    OF    THEIR    EARLY    LIFE.  397 

He  was  a  wise  man  who  said,  '  Let  me  make  the  songs  of  a 
country,  and  I  care  not  who  make  its  laws.'  " 

Mrs.  Barbour  says  :  "  Mr.  Sankey  sings  with  the  conviction 
that  souls  are  receiving  Jesus  betv.-een  one  note  and  the  next. 
The  stillness  is  overawing ;  some  of  the  lines  are  more  spoken 
than  sung.  The  hymns  are  equally  used  for  awakening,  none 
more  than  '  Jesus  of  Nazareth  passeth  by.'  When  you  hear 
the  '  Ninety  and  Nine '  sung,  you  know  of  a  truth  that  down  in 
this  corner,  up  in  that  gallery,  behind  that  pillar  which  hides 
the  singer's  face  from  the  listener,  the  hand  of  Jesus  has  been 
finding  this  and  that  and  yonder  lost  one,  to  place  them  in  his 
fold.  A  certain  class  of  hearers  come  to  the  services  solely  to 
hear  Mr.  Sankey,  and  the  song  throws  the  liOrd's  net  around  them. 

"  We  asked  Mr.  Sankey  one  day  what  he  was  to  sing.  He 
said,  '  ril  not  know  till  I  hear  how  Mr.  Moody  is  closing. 
Again,  we  were  driving  to  the  Canongate  Parish  Church  one 
winter  night,  and  Mr.  Sankey  said  to  the  young  minister  who 
had  come  for  him,  '  Tm  thinking  of  singing  "I  am  so  Glad" 
to-night.'  '  Oh  ! '  said  the  young  man,  '  please  do  rather  sing 
"  Jesus  of  Nazareth."  An  old  man  told  me  to-day  that  he  had 
been  awakened  by  it  the^'last  night  you  w'ere  down.  He  said, 
"  It  just  went  through  me  like  an  electric  shock."' 

"  A  gentleman  in  Edinburgh  was  in  distress  of  soul,  and 
happened  to  linger  in  a  pew  after  the  noon-meeting.  The  choir 
had  remained  to  practice,  and  begin  '  Free  from  the  Law,  O 
happy  Condition,'  etc.  Quickly  the  Spirit  of  God  carried  that 
truth  home  to  the  awakened  conscience,  and  he  was  at  rest  in 
the  finished  work  of  Jesus. 

"  It  is  interesting  to  know  that  there  are  scarcely  two  of 
those  hymns  which  Mr.  Sankey  sings  by  the  same  author. 
They  have  been  collected  during  an  eight  years'  experience  of 
the  Lord's  use  of  them  among  believers,  inquirers,  and  the 
careless.  In  the  singing  of  them  he  seems  to  become  uncon- 
scious of  every  thing  but  the  desire  that  the  truth  should  sink 
deep  into  the  souls  of  the  listeners,  and  that  the  people  who  sit 
in  darkness  should  see  a  great  light  shining  for  them  from  the 
cross  of  him  who  bung  upon  the  tree. 


39^  MOODY    AND    SANKEY. 

"  In  a  Highland  parish,  a  young  man  who  had  lived  far 
from  God,  and  seemed  to  his  minister  inaccessible  to  the  truth, 
was  found  one  day  last  summer  deeply  awakened.  When  asked 
to  what  this  was  owing,  he  said  it  was  in  consequence  of  hearing 
his  little  sister  sing, 

'  When  he  cometh,  when  he  cometh. 
To  make  up  his  jewels.' 

"  Perhaps  not  a  Vv'eek  has  passed  during  the  last  year  in 
which  we  have  not  had  evidence  that  the  Lord  had  directly 
used  a  line  of  one  of  these  hymns,  in  the  salvation  of  some  soul. 
A  young  man  who  had  been  deeply  impressed,  and  was  yet 
unwilling  to  stay  to  the  inquirers'  meeting,  and  about  to  leave  a 
church,  was  arrested  at  the  door  by  hearing  the  choir  sing, 
'Yet  there  is  Room.'  He  felt  there  was  room  for  him,  went 
back  to  the  pew,  and  after  having  the  truth  clearly  laid  before 
him,  received  Christ. 

The  wave  of  sacred  song  has  spread  over  Ireland,  and  is 
now  sweeping  through  England.  But,  indeed,  it  is  not  being 
confined  to  the  United  Kingdom  alone,  for  away  off  on  the 
shores  of  India,  and  in  many  other  lands,  these  sweet  songs  of 
a  Saviour's  love  are  being  sung.  Mr.  Sankey's  collection  of 
sacred  songs  has  been  translated  into  five  or  six  languages,  and 
are  winging  their  way  into  tens  of  thousands  of  hearts  and 
homes,  and  the  blessing  of  the  Lord  seems  to  accompany  them 
wherever  sung. 

'  We  may  forget  the  singer, 
But  will  ne'er  forget  the  song.' " 

"  Mrs.  Sankey  is  an  earnest  Christian  woman,  and  fully 
sympathizes  with  her  husband  in  his  blessed  work.  Both  are 
members  of  the  Methodist  Church ;  while  his  sweet  songs  float 
over  and  inspire  multitudes  in  all  Christian  denominations.' 
The  Harp  of  David  was  the  prototype  of  the  Harmonium  of 
Sankey. 


PART    III 


THE    WONDERFUL    CAREER 


MOODY    AND    SANKEY, 


m 


GREA  T  BRITAIN. 


400  MOODY   AND   SANKEY   IN   GREAT   BRITAIN. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 


BEGINNINGS    ABROAD. 


In  the  spring  of  1873,  Messrs.  Moody  and  Sankey  left 
Chicago  for  England.  They  had  been  invited  by  three  gentle- 
men to  hold  meetings  in  that  country.  No  one  else  had  joined 
in  the  invitation,  and  no  one  else  was  interested  in  their  visit. 
They  had  no  appointments.  No  arrangements  were  made  for 
them.  No  compensation  was  promised.  No  one  knew  of 
their  intention  to  come.  They  were  persuaded  that  God  sent 
them,  and  therefore  they  went.  Mr.  Moody  carried  his  Bible, 
Mr.  Sankey  his  organ  and  singing  book.  In  June  they  landed 
in  Liverpool,  sought  a  place  to  preach  and  sing  the  Gospel,  and 
held  a  few  services.  No  attention  was  attracted  and  nothing 
accomplished,  and  after  a  few  days  they  proceeded  toward 
York  to  find  the  friends  who  had  invited  them  over.  Two  of  the 
men  were  dead.  But  with  a  confidence  that  resembled  audacity, 
they  found  a  place  to  preach  and  went  to  work.  One  preached 
the  Gospel ;  the  other  sang  it.  They  held  their  meetings,  con- 
versed with  sinners,  prayed  to  God  ;  and  men  and  women  began 
to  ask  what  they  must  do  to  be  saved.  They  labored  in  York 
a  month,  and  it  is  believed  that  two  hundred  persons  were  con- 
verted to  Christ. 

On  Sunday,  July  27th,  they  went  to  Sunderland,  a  consider- 
able town  near  York,  on  the  invitation  of  a  Baptist  minister, 
Rev.  Arthur  Rees.  The  other  ministers  generally  hesitated,  or 
opposed  the  work.  "  We  can  never  go  on  in  this  way "  was 
Moody's  characteristic  remark  ;  "  it  is  easier  fighting  the  devil 
than  fighting  the  ministers."  At  length  a  delegation  of  young 
men  from  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  of  Sunderland,  waited  upon  the 
evangelists  at  their  lodgings,  and  one  of  them  tells  the  story  of 
their  reception  in  the  following  fashion  : 

"  They  had   already  been  a  week  in   Sunderland  ;  but,  as 


BEGINNINGS    ABROAD.  40I 

yet,  I  had  not  seen  either  of  them.  Ah  !  thought  I,  what  a  lift 
heavenward  shall  I  get  from  these  holy  men !  We  were  shown 
into  a  back  parlor  by  the  servant,  and  very  soon  the  two 
evangelists  samitered  in  in  a  style  neither  ecclesiastical  nor 
dignified.  Turning  to  me,  Mr.  Moody  asked,  in  true  Yankee 
fashion,  What  was  our  business  with  him  ?  He  did  not  show 
us  a  seat ;  he  did  not  offer  us  his  hand :  altogether  an 
auctioneer-like  reception. 

"  '  We  represent  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association, 
Mr.  Moody,  and  have  come  to  ask  if  you  will  give  us  an 
address  in  Victoria  Hall,  on  Sunday  afternoon.' 

'"Preach  for  you?  Oh  yes!  I'll  preach  for  you,'  replied 
Mr.  Moody. 

"'We  don't  want  you  to  preach  for  us;  we  want  3'OU  to 
preach  for  Christ.' 

"  '  Oh  yes — yes  !     All  right  I     I'll  preach  for  you.' 

"  '  Our  committee,'  continued  I,  '  hope  you  will  not  misunder- 
stand the  reason  of  their  not  joining  you  earlier  in  your  work. 
It  is  not  for  want  of  sympathy  ;  but  because  you  came  to  us  in 
a  sectarian  connection,  and  have  allied  yourself  with  Mr.  Rees  ; 
and  if  we  were  to  join  you,  on  sectarian  grounds,  we  should 
injure  our  Institution,  which  has  enemies  enough  already.' 

"After  explaining  his  position,  and  that  his  connection  with 
Brother  Rees  and  his  congregation  had  no  sectarian  signifi- 
cance, he  said, — 

"'  I  go  where  I  can  do  most  good  :  that  is  what  I  am  after.' 
And  when  we  left,  he  followed  us  out  to  the  gate,  saying,  '  It  is 
souls  I  want:  it  is  souls  I  want.' 

"  Alas  !  I  had  mistaken  the  man  ;  and  whether  he  spoke  of 
souls  or  anything  else,  it  is  all  the  same  to  me  now. 

"'  Well,  Frank,  what  did  you  think  of  it  ?'  asked  my  com- 
panion, as  v;e  walked  off  from  this  strange  interview. 

"  '  Think  !     It  is  money  :  that  is  what  it  is,  James.' 

"  However,  I  went  to  the  meeting,  being  careful  to  keep 
out  of  sight  ;  but  when  Sankey  began  singing,  I  felt  it  draw 
me,  and  very  little  more  of  it  would  have  pulled  me  on  to  the 
platform." 


402        MOODY  AND  SANKEY  IN  GREAT  BRITAIN. 

"  That  was  not  a  good  afternoon  for  Mr.  Moody.  His  eye 
blazed  with  mournful  earnestness,  as  it  ranged  that  crowd, 
looking  for  anxious  faces  :  and  its  strange  light  lives  in  my 
memory  yet,  while  all  my  prejudices  and  misconceptions  are 
dead  and  rotten. 

"  On  the  following  Sunday  night,  when  I  got  to  the  rooms 
of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association,  I  found  the  meeting 
on  fire.  The  young  men  were  speaking  with  tongues,  propnesy- 
ing.  What  on  earth  did  it  all  mean  ?  Only  that  Moody  had 
been  addressing  them  that  afternoon.  'What  manner  of  man 
is  this  ? '  thought  I  ;  but  still  I  did  not  give  him  my  hand.  .  . 
Many  of  the  clergy  were  so  opposed  to  the  movement  that  they 
turned  their  backs  upon  our  poor  innocent  Young  Men's 
Christian  Association,  for  the  part  we  took  in  the  work  ;  but 
afterward  when  the  floodgates  of  Divine  grace  were  opened, 
Sunderland  was  taken  by  storm. 

"  I  cannot  describe  Moody's  great  meeting  ;  I  can  only  say 
that  the  people  of  Sunderland  warmly  supported  the  movement, 
in  spite  of  their  spiritual  advisers  ;  that  there  was  a  tremendous 
work  of  grace,  when  measured  by  its  immediate  effects,  but  far 
greater  in  its  consequences,  after  the  evangelists  were  away. 
All  honor  to  these  two  brother-soldiers  of  the  cross,  who,  like 
Jonathan  and  his  armor-bearer,  stormed  this  fortress  of  British 
unbelief  alone  !  " 

The  second  Sunday  evening,  three  thousand  people  crowded 
Victoria  Hall,  and  after  the  sermon,  many  followed  them  to  a 
neighboring  church,  for  an  inquiry  meeting.  Among  the 
inquirers,  a  young  man  came  up  the  aisle,  and  threw  his  arms 
about  his  father's  neck  and  kissed  him,  asking  his  forgiveness 
with  many  tears  ;  then  kissing  his  mother  and  asking  her  for- 
giveness, afterward  tenderly  embracing  and  kissing  his  younger 
brother. 

The  little  fire  kindled  in  York  flamed  so  high  in  Sunderland, 
that  Newcastle  on  the  Tyne  saw  it.  The  ministers  came  over, 
and  their  hearts  were  warmed.  The  evangelists  were  invited 
to  go  back  vvith  them,  and  went.  Their  fame  had  preceded 
them,  and  ministers  and  people  were  ready  to  welcome  them. 


BEGINNINGS    ABROAD.  403 

The  meetings  were  so  multiplied  that  as  many  as  thirty-four 
were  held  in  a  single  week.  They  continued  through  two  months, 
the  attendance  and  interest  increasing  to  the  close.  Crowds 
came  from  all  the  surrounding  towns,  caught  the  fire,  and 
kindled  it  through  all  the  neighboring  counties. 

Mr,  Moody  said  : 

'^  We  have  not  done  much  in  York  and  Sunderland,  because 
the  ministers  opposed  us  ;  but  we  are  going  to  stay  in  New- 
castle till  we  make  an  impression,  and  live  down  the  prejudices 
of  good  people  who  do  not  understand  us. 

"  I  am  always  glad  to  see  a  minister  come  to  our  meetings, 
for  he  always  brings  a  large  reinforcement  with  him." 

Among  the  ministers  prominent  in  connection  with  these 
services  have  been  several  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  pastors, 
most  of  them  of  the  Low  Church  party.  The  Rev.  Dr.  Stewart, 
of  St.  Clement's  Church,  a  leading  High  Churchman  has,  how- 
ever, given  utterance  to  the  following  sentiments  from  his  pul- 
pit, which  will 'be  read  with  a  good  deal  of  interest : 

"  It  is  probably  well  that  I  should  say  something  respecting 
the  work  of  certain  evangelists  who  commenced  their  labors  in 
this  city  to-day.  T  have  heard  that  they  are  regarded  with 
unkindly  feelings  by  several  ministers  ;  how  far  this  extends  I 
know  not,  but  it  certainly  does  not  reach  the  clergy  of  this  parish. 
The  right  and  duty  of  every  layman  is  by  precept  and  example 
to  bring  erring  souls  to  Christ,  and  in  the  exercise  of  this  plain 
right  I  bid  these  evangelists  God-speed  in  their  good  work  of 
awakening  souls  who,  when  awakened,  will  seek  the  church  and 
its  sacraments.  These  men  do  not  come  to  make  proselytes, 
but  Christians,  and  should  be  aided  rather  than  hindered  in  the 
effort  to  bring  lost  souls  to  their  Saviour." 

From  the  interesting  narratives  of  the  glorious  dealings  of 
God  with  his  people  we  compile  such  as  will  most  graphically 
portray  them  to  our  readers.  After  three  weeks  at  Newcastle, 
great  blessings  were  poured  out  on  their  work,  which  began  at 
the  Rye  Hill  Baptist  chapel  and  thence  overflowed  on  every  side. 

Every  morning  at  twelve  o'clock,  in  the  Music-hall,  there 
was  a  meeting  for  prayer,  praise,  and  exhortation,  at  which  were 


404  MOODY   AND   SANKEY    IN    GREAT    BRITAIN. 

gathered  from  two  to  three  hundred  people,  all  earnestly  desir- 
ing the  revival  of  God's  work  in  that  irreligious  town,  and  daily 
bearing  before  God  numerous  written  requests  from  believers, 
for  their  unconverted  relatives  and  friends.  These  prayer-meet- 
ings have  been  felt  by  all  to  be  true  means  of  grace  to  the 
hearts  of  God's  children,  and  numerous  and  striking  have  been 
the  answers  to  prayer  for  the  unconverted.  Every  evening,  in  the 
Music-hall  and  Rye-hill  Chapel,  Gospel  services  were  held,  Mr. 
Moody  and  Mr.  Moorhouse  preaching  the  Gospel,  and  Mr. 
Sankey  singing  his  sweet  spiritual  songs.  At  the  commence- 
ment of  this  glorious  work.  Rye-hill  Chapel,  which  will  accom- 
modate from  sixteen  to  seventeen  hundred  people,  was  used ; 
but,  as  many  had  to  go  away,  not  being  able  to  get  in,  it  was 
thought  advisable  to  have  two  services  on  the  same  evening; 
hence  the  Music-hall,  v/here  Mr.  Hoyle  was  carrying  on  a  noble 
work  for  Jesus,  was  opened  each  night,  and  hundreds  attended 
there  to  hear  the  preaching  of  the  word  ;  and  many  were  born 
again  by  the  regenerating  power  of  the  Spirit  of  God. 

In  connection  with  these  services,  Mr.  Moody,  with  that 
indefatigable  zeal  and  fervor  which  so  eminently  characterize 
him,  announced  that  he  intended  to  have  an  'all-day'  meeting 
on  Wednesday,  September  loth,  and  earnestly  invited  all  who 
could  possibly  come  to  attend.  An  all-day  meeting  was  some- 
thing so  novel  in  the  history  of  religious  people  in  Newcastle, 
that  much  wonder  was  excited  as  to  what  would  be  the  result 
of  so  bold  an  undertaking.  Many  anticipated  a  failure,  others 
thought  that  it  migJit  be  a  success  ;  but  those  who  felt  the  reviv- 
ing power  of  God's  love,  and  had  made  this  meeting  a  matter 
of  earnest  prayer,  knew  that  it  would  not,  could  not  fail.  Ac- 
cording to  their  faith  it  was  done  unto  them.  Wednesday 
morning  broke  clear  and  beautiful.  It  was  a  day  when  all 
nature  seemed  to  be  rejoicing  in  the  glad  sunshine  of  the  great 
Father's  beneficence. 

At  ten  o'clock,  the  hour  for  the  service  to  commence,  the 
wide  area  of  Rye-hill  Chapel  was  about  half  filled,  and  the  peo- 
ple coming  in  quickly.  By  eleven  o'clock  the  friends  from 
Sunderland,  Shields,  Jarrow,  and  neighboring  towns,  had  come 


BEGINNINGS   ABROAD.  ^qh 

in  by  train,  and  had  occupied  nearly  the  whole  of  the  area.  At 
twelve  o-"clock  the  message  came,  ^'  No  more  room  in  the  area ; 
we  must  throw  the  galleries  open."  By  two  o'clock  the  galleries 
were  well  filled,  and  before  the  closing  hour  came  round  the 
spacious  and  beautiful  chapel  was  filled  with  those  who  had  left 
business,  home  cares  and  work,  pleasure  and  idleness,  to  come 
and  worship  God  and  hear  his  word.  Never  was  the  faith  of 
God's  people  more  abundantly  satisfied.  They  asked  and  it 
was  given,  they  sought  and  found,  they  knocked  and  the  door 
was  opened  unto  them. 

According  to  the  programme  which  Mr.  Moody  had  dis- 
tributed largely  over  the  town,  the  first  hour  of  the  services  was 
to  be  devoted  entirely  to  prayer  and  Bible-reading. 

After  the  singing  of  that  beautiful  hymn,  "  Sweet  Hour  of 
Prayer,"  Mr.  Moody  led  the  devotions  of  God's  people  at  the 
throne  of  grace,  and  then  read  and  commented  on  Nehemiah 
viii.,  I-I2,  where  it  is  stated  that  "  all  the  people  gathered  them- 
selves together  as  one  man.  ...  and  they  spake  unto  Ezra  the 
scribe  to  bring  the  book  of  the  law  of  Moses,  which  the  Lord 
had  commanded  Israel."  Mr.  Moody  clearly  brought  out  the 
appropriateness  of  this  Scripture  to  the  services  of  that  day, 
and  concluded  by  unfolding  and  pressing  home  to  the  hearts 
of  the  people  the  joyous  truth  contained  in  the  tenth  verse, 
where  Ezra  said  to  the  people,  "Go  your  way,  eat  the 
fat,  and  drink  the  sweet,  and  send  portions  unto  them  for  whom 
nothing  is  prepared,  for  this  day  is  holy  unto  our  Lord  :  neither 
be  ye  sorry  ;  for  the  joy  of  the  Lord  is  your  strength." 

Mr.  Hoyle,  Mr.  Swinburne,  and  several  of  the  brethren 
spoke  from  the  Word  of  God  on  the  subject  of  Christian  joy, 
and  the  hour  of  prayer  and  Bible-reading  was  gone  before  we 
had  well  begun  to  open  the  Scriptures.  This  hour  was  felt  to 
be  exceedingly  precious,  and  was  received  by  all  as  an  earnest 
of  what  was  to  come. 

^  The  second  hour  was  devoted  to  the  promises,  Mr.  Moody 
being  the  leader.  He  said  he  wished  the  friends  that  day  to 
try  to  see  how  rich  they  were.  He  thought  that  very  few  of  us 
had   ever  fully  considered  how  much  our  loving  Father  really 


4o6  MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN    GREAT    BRITAIN. 

had  promised  to  us.  These  promises,  hke  precious  gems,  were 
to  be  found  in  every  book  of  the  Bible,  and  that  day  we  might 
get  into  the  company  of  all  God's  great  men  who  had  passed 
away,  and  hear  what  things  they  had  to  tell  us  about  our 
Father's  love.  We  could  summon  the  patriarchs — the  prophets 
— the  kings  ;  we  could  listen  to  the  historians — the  biogra- 
phers— the  poets  of  the  Bible  ;  and  they  would  all  give  to  us  some 
of  the  precious  promises  spoken  by  God,  through  their  lives  to 
the  ears  of  the  whole  world.  The  meeting  was  to  be  quite  open 
and  free ;  not  for  speeches  about  promises,  but  for  the  reading 
forth  of  these  good  words  of  God  to  our  souls.  The  audience 
at  once  seemed  to  catch  up  the  spirit  and  intention  of  these 
words,  and  from  every  part  of  the  chapel — from  young  and  old, 
from  male  and  female — came  passage  after  passage  of  the  Holy 
Word,  declarative  of  what  in  the  boundless  fullness  of  his  love 
the  Father  has  promised  to  all. 

The  interest  of  the  meeting  had  been  steadily  rising,  as  one 
Scriptural  topic  after  another  had  been  most  delightfully  un- 
folded, when  the  last  hour  was  reached,  and  appropriately  given 
to  the  subject  of  Heaven. 

The  address  was  given  by  Mr.  Moody.  Having  selected 
numerous  passages  of  Scripture  to  prove  his  points,  Mr.  Moody 
asked  some  of  the  brethren  present  to  read  them  out  as  he 
called  for  them.  This  was  a  delightful  picture — a  crowded 
chapel — hundreds  of  open  Bibles  ready  to  be  marked  when  the 
passage  should  be  announced,  and  the  subject  uppermost  in 
each  mind  heaven.  The  first  thought  which  the  speaker  called 
attention  to  was  the  locality  of  heaven.  He  said  that  his  mind 
had  once  been  much  distressed  by  an  infidel  asking  him  "  why 
he  always  looked  upward  when  he  was  addressing  God  t  God 
was  everywhere,  and  his  home  was  just  as  likely  to  be  below  as 
above."  This  set  Mr.  Moody  back  to  his  Bible  to  see  what  it 
had  to  say  about  the  matter.  He  was  soon  quite  satisfied  that 
God's  home  was  above.  The  Word  said  that  God,  when  com- 
muning with  Abraham,  came  doum  to  see  whether  the  people 
living  in  the  cities  of  the  plain  had  done  altogether  according 
to  the  cry  that  had  come  to  him  ;  the  nngels  asked  the  disciples 


BEGINNINGS    ABROAD.  407 

on  the  morning  of  the  ascension  why  they  stood  gazing  tip  into 
heaven  ',  the  same  Jesus  that  had  been  taken  up  from  them  into 
heaven  would  come  again  in  like  manner.  These  and  similar 
passages  were  sufficient  proof  to  his  mind  that  the  home  of 
God  was  above,  and  that  we  obeyed  a  divine  instinct  when  we 
'•  lifted  up  "  our  hearts  to  him  there. 

The  locality  having  been  spoken  of,  the  next  thought  was 
the  compaiiy  gathered  together  there.  Whom  have  we  there 
that  heaven  should  be  so  dear  to  us  ? 

(i)  The  Father  is  there.  Heaven  is  the  home,  the  dwelling- 
place  of  God.  No  home  is  complete  without  the  father;  and 
no  ftimily  is  complete  unless  they  can  include  the  father  among 
them.  Our  Father  is  in  heaven.  How  delightful  the  thought 
of  one  day  being  with  him  amidst  all  the  joy  and  splendor  of 
home!  Then  (2)  yesus  is  there.  He  about  whom  we  have 
read,  whose  Spirit  has  created  us  anew  in  him,  whose  blood 
bought  us,  and  whose  love  saved  us  ;  Jesus  is  there  ;  and  we 
look  to  our  home  in  heaven  with  longing  eyes,  because  there,  if 
not  before,  we  shall  see  him  who  is  crowned  with  glory  and 
honor.  Then  (3)  the  angels  are  there.  The  pure  and  spotless 
creations  of  God,  who  have  known  nothing  of  sin  and  sorrow 
and  travail,  who  have  ever  lived  their  life  of  bright  intelligence 
and  holy  service  in  the  sunshine  of  God's  presence.  These  are 
there,  and  we  shall  meet  them,  and  tell  them  of  something  they 
have  never  felt — the  compassion  and  love  of  Jesus  for  sinful 
men.  Then  (4)  there  will  be  the  saints,  the  spirits  of  just  men 
made  perfect.  All  the  old  heroes  of  God,  the  warriors  and  the 
kings,  the  prophets  and  the  poets,  the  apostles  and  the  early 
martyrs,  all  will  be  there,  and  we  shall  be  able  to  hold  sweet 
communion  with  them  all  ;  and  our  own  loved  ones,  the  father 
and  mother,  sisters  and  brothers,  the  babes,  and  the  young  and 
old,  they  will  be  among  this  shining  band,  who  swell  the  ranks 
of  the  redeemed  before  the  throne  of  God.  O  what  a  company 
is  there  !  Father,  Jesus,  angels,  saints — all  who  have  fallen 
asleep  in  Jesus — all  there  !     Waiting  for  us  to  come. 

Another  point  to  which  Mr.  Moody  called  attention  was 
that  it  is  our  treasnre-house.     The  only  things  we  have  or  can 


4o8  MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN    GREAT    BRITAIN. 

have,  as  saints,  will  be  found  there.  All  else  must  be  left 
Death  strips  of  everything  but  heavenly  treasure.  How  this 
should  lead  us  more  and  more  to  obey  the  Master's  injunction, 
and  seek  "to  lay  up  treasure  in  heaven."  It  will  be  there  all 
safe  when  we  want  it ;  for  there  neither  moth  nor  rust  doth 
corrupt,  and  thieves  do  not  break  through  and  steal.  Not  only 
is  heaven  our  treasure-house — it  is  our  reivard.  There  we 
meet  with  the  full  fruition  of  all  our  labor  ;  there  we  receive 
every  man  his  own  reward  for  his  own  work.  No  mixing  up, 
no  confusion  ;  to  each  is  given  his  full  due.  The  Christian 
need  not  expect  full  compensation  below ;  he  will  not  get  it. 
Heaven — and  in  heaven  he  will  receive  all  that  he  expects. 
Mr.  Moody  next  spoke  very  beautifully  about  heaven  being 
the  place  where  our  names  are  written.  The  disciples  of 
Christ  came  back  to  him  from  one  of  their  journeys  flushed 
with  victory,  because  even  the  devils  had  been  subject  unto 
them;  but  the  Master  said  they  had  to  rejoice  because 
their  names  were  written  in  heaven.  Our  names  have  gone  on 
before  us.  Just  as  a  man  sends  his  goods  often  before  him 
when  he  is  traveling,  and  he  himself  follows  after,  just  so  our 
names  have  gone  on  before,  and  we  are  journeying  after  them. 
We  are  known  in  heaven  before  we  get  there.  The  name  of 
each  saint  is  in  the  book  of  life,  and  it  cannot  be  blotted  out. 
Then,  again,  heaven  is  to  be  our  rest.  The  time  to  toil  and 
suffer  is  now.  We  ought  not  to  want  to  rest  here.  Mr. 
Moody,  on  this  point,  quoted  the  example  which  the  life  of 
Paul  gives  us  of  a  man  who  conceived  of  the  present  being  a 
life  of  service,  and  not  of  rest.  The  speaker's  soul  seemed  to 
be  set  on  fire  with  the  thought  of  Paul's  labors  and  consecrated 
ambition  to  serve  the  Master  ;  with  words  of  true  eloquence  he 
described  the  sacred  passion  which  Paul  had  for  his  Master's 
work,  and  wound  up  a  splendid  panegyric  on  Paul's  character, 
by  wishing  that  modern  Christianity  could  be  imbued  with 
some  of  Paul's  fervor. 

The  last  point  of  this  noble  address  was,  "  How  to  get  to 
heaven.''  And  here  Mr.  Moody  found  an  opportunity  for  doing 
that  which  is  so  dear  to  his  heart,  namely,  preaching  the  Gospel 


BEGINNINGS    ABROAD.  409 

of  Christ  to  sinful  men.  The  address  which  throughout  had 
been  interspersed  with  touching  and  beautiful  illustrations,  and 
now  and  again  by  Mr.  Sankey  singing,  was  brought  to  a  close 
with  an  earnest  appeal  to  all  "  to  become  as  little  children,  and  so 
enter  the  kingdom  of  heaven."  Once  more,  as  it  had  been  many 
times  that  day,  was  our  dear  brother  Sankey's  voice  heard  giv 
ing  his  beautiful  rendering  of  one  of  his  choice  solos,  and  when 
the  benediction  had  been  pronounced,  and  the  six  hours' 
service  had  come  to  a  close,  all  present  felt  that  the  time  had 
gone  too  quickly.  The  place  of  meeting  had  been  none  other 
than  the  house  of  God  and  the  gate  of  heaven.  Thus  ended 
the  '*  all-day  "  meeting,  but,  thank  God,  not  thus  ended  the 
memory  of  it ;  that  will  live  till  the  last  year  of  our  lives,  and 
many  a  soul  traveling  home  to  God  will  think  of  it  as  one  of 
the  deep  pools  by  the  way  dug  by  the  hand  of  a-  loving  God 
for  the  refreshment  of  his  children. 

In  the  evening  a  Gospel  service  was  held,  Messrs.  Moody 
and  Moorhouse  speaking ;  the  chapel  was  filled  to  overflowing, 
and  many  souls  went  away  having  found  peace  in  Jesus. 

Let  the  following  incident,  reported  by  Henry  Moorhouse, 
illustrate  the  feeling  among  the  poor  and  needy  : 

A  gentleman  passing  down  a  street  in  Gateshead  heard 
some  one  knocking  at  the  window  of  a  cottage.  He  stopped 
and  a  respectable  woman  came  to  the  door,  and  said :  "  Come 
in  !  "     He  said  he  could  not  then,  as  he  was  going  to  a  meeting. 

''  Oh,  sir,  for  God's  sake  come  in,  and  tell  me  something 
about  Jesus,  for  I  am  wretched." 

"  What  is  the  matter?  "  said  my  friend. 

She  said,  "  I  am  lost ;  oh  tell  me  what  I  must  do  to  be 
saved.  I  have  been  standing  at  my  window  all  the  day  to  see 
if  a  Christian  would  come  along,  and  if  it  had  been  a  beggar 
who  loved  the  Saviour,  I  would  have  called  him  in." 

She  had  been  at  a  meeting  a  week  before,  and  had  been  in 
a  miserable  state  ever  since.  A  Christian  lady  called  to  see 
her  and  told  her  about  the  love  of  Jesus.  She  trusted,  and  was 
saved.  "  I  saw  her  to-day,"  said  the  speaker,  "  as  happy  and 
brighL  as  possible." 
1^ 


4IO  MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN    GREAT    BRITAIN. 

The  Rev.  Thomas  Boyd,  Presbyterian  minister  of  the  place, 
after  describing  the  meetings  in  the  VVesleyan  Chapel,  says, 
after  the  evangelists  had  gone  : 

^'  Such  has  been  the  number  of  cases,  and  such  many  of 
the  parties,  that  had  it  been  told  to  any  Christian  friend  a  fort- 
night ago,  he  would  not  have  believed  it.  Even  with  all  this 
before  us,  so  wonderful  is  it,  that  we  almost  feel  as  if  we  dreamt. 
God's  Spirit  still  works  powerfully.  Every  night  souls  are 
aroused,  and,  under  the  guidance  of  Christian  friends,  led  to 
Jesus." 

At  Stockton-on-Tees,  in  which  the  early  part  of  November 
was  spent,  the  result  is  thus  described  by  an  intelligent  observer 
on  the  spot ;  and  once  for  all  we  call  attention  to  the  union  of 
prayer  and  Catholic  feeling  before  and  in  the  work : 

"  This  work  has  been  very  great ;  and  in  examining,  for  our 
own  future  guidance  and  the  guidance  of  others,  into  the 
apparent  causes  of  success,  we  are  struck  with  the  following : 
First,  the  preparation  of  united,  believing  prayer.  Mr.  Moody 
said,  that  on  coming  into  the  first  meeting,  he  and  Mr.  Sankey 
felt  that  they  were  among  a  praying  peojDle  \  and  to  this  and  the 
next  cause,  viz.  :  the  united  action  of  the  ministers  of  the  town,  he 
mainly  attributed  the  fact,  that  in  no  place  which  they  had 
visited  had  they  witnessed  such  evident  results  in  so  short  a 
time.  It  was  very  delightful  to  see,  at  each  of  the  services, 
eight  or  ten  of  these  devoted  pastors,  most  of  them  in  the  vigor 
of  young  manhood,  strong-souled,  intelligent  men,  representing 
various  shades  of  denominational  belief,  but  merging  all  dififer- 
ences  in  mutual  affection,  and  the  common  desire  to  aid  in  the 
glorious  work  \  and  many  hearts  were  constrained  by  the  sight 
to  give  thanks  for  such  a  ministry  in  Stockton.  Another  very 
important  feature  was  the  absence  of  noise  in  the  meetings.  The 
experience  of  the  past  few  days  will,  we  think,  have  convinced 
them  that  the  best  and  most  successful  prayer-meetings  ever 
held  in  Stockton  have  been  the  quietest,  reminding  us  of  the 
old  lady's  description,  '  God  Almighty  was  so  near  that  nobody 
had  to  shout  to  Him.' 

"  Nothing    is    so    remarkable   in  this  revival   as   the  utter 


BEGINNINGS    ABROAD. 


4n 


demolishing  of  the  old-fashioned  prayer-meeting.  Enter  solemn 
minister  and  solemn  people,  scattered — six, — eight, — ten, — 
over  a  great  area.  A  long  slow  hymn.  Long  portion  of  the 
Word.  Two  elders  pray  two  long  prayers,  in  which  they  go 
from  Jerusalem,  and  round  about  unto  Illyricum,  and  a  great 
deal  farther. 

"  Now  we  have  crammed  meetings.  All  sit  close  together. 
The  singing  is  lively — new  songs,  new  tunes.  A  few  words 
from  the  minister  give  the  key-note.  Prayers  are  short.  A  few 
texts  from  the  Word  of  God  are  frequently  interspersed.  Brief 
exhortations.  .  .  .  All  this  comes  from  our  brethren  from 
America.  Why  have  we  not  found  out  hov/  to  conduct  a 
prayer-meeting  before  ?  We  in  this  country  have  been  bound 
hand  and  foot  by  traditions.  In  the  far  West  of  America,  at 
Chicago,  for  instance,  there  were  no  traditions.  The  only 
people  that  had  traditions  there,  were  the  Indians.  The 
brethren  have  thoroughly  solved  this  question  of  prayer  meet- 
ings for  us.     We  thank  them. 

"  The  border-town  of  Carlisle  was  next  approached.  The 
evangelists  are  nearing  Scotland.  The  place  where,  in  former 
days  Englishman  and  Scotsman  used  to  meet  in  desperate  feud, 
becomes  the  scene  of  victories  of  another  kind.  The  truth  is 
the  weapon,  and  the  Victor  is  Jesus  Christ.  This  none  would 
more  readily  own  than  the  instruments  He  em'ployed. 

"  This  is  the  Lord's  doings :  it  is  marvellous  in  our  eyes. 
As  in  other  places,  the  meetings  have  been  crowded  to  excess  ; 
the  United  Presbyterian  Church,  of  which  Mr.  Christie  is  the 
pastor,  proved  altogether  inadequate  to  accommodate  the 
throngs,  and  the  large  Wesleyan  Chapel  close  at  hand  was  also 
thrown  open,  both  buildings  being  completely  filled.  The 
power  of  God  was  present  in  a  most  marked  degree ;  the 
solemn  and  magnificent  songs,  seeming  now  to  bring  Jesus  of 
Nazareth  right  down  into  the  streets  of  our  own  city,  or,  again, 
to  take  us  right  up  to  the  gates  of  heaven,  prepared  the  way  for 
the  word  of  life  from  the  lips  of  Mr.  Moody;  that  word  was 
with  power,  and  many  were  the  anxious  souls  pressing  forward 
to  know  the  way  of  life.     Jesus  has  become  precious  to  many  j 


412  MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN    GREAT    BRITAIN. 

souls  have  been  born  of  God,  and  tears  of  contrition  have  given 
place  to  tears  of  joy. 

"  This  much  as  to  the  blessing  bestowed  on  the  uncon- 
verted ;  but  what  shall  be  said  as  to  that  which  has  rested  upon 
the  Christians  ?  It  has  been  a  time  of  drawing  together  such 
as  we  have  not  known  anything  of  before.  Ministers  of  the 
different  denominations  have  thrown  themselves  heart  and  soul 
into  the  work^  and  the  close  of  the  week  finds  us  recognizing, 
not  in  theory  but  in  fact,  that  we  are  all  one  in  Christ  Jesus, 
and  banded  together,  that  by  our  union  in  Him  we  may  honor 
His  blessed  name. 

"  Never  shall  we  forget  Mr.  Moody's  farewell  address.  He 
would  not  say  '  Good-bye  !  '  No  !  '  Good-night '  rather,  and 
meet  them  all  in  the  morning,  in  the  dawn  of  eternal  day. 
Then  strong  men  bowed  and  wept  out  their  manly  sorrow  like 
children,  blessed  children  as  they  were  of  the  same  great 
Father  ;  and  one  of  our  brothers  lifted  our  American  friends  up 
in  the  arms  of  love  in  prayer  to  our  heavenly  Father,  the 
Jubilee  Singers  singing  thereupon,  '  Shall  we  meet  beyond  the 
River  ? '  Then  came  the  benediction.  The  business  was 
over,  and  the  grand  occasion  past,  the  memory  thereof  to  die 
no  more. 

•'  Although  our  friends  took  leave  thus  of  the  country 
brethren,  they  tarried  with  us,  the  people  of  Newcastle,  yet  a 
while.  On  that  Wednesday  night,  Thursday  night,  and  Friday, 
were  immense  meetings,  attended  by  thousands,  overflowing 
into  neighboring  churches,  although  Brunswick  Place  Chapel 
would  itself  hold  two  thousand.  At  these  Messrs.  Moody  and 
Sankey  were  present.  Scores  were  converted.  They  were 
present  at  the  noonday  meetings  of  Thursday,  Friday,  and 
Saturday,  at  the  last  of  which  between  two  and  three  thousand 
people  met  from  eleven  to  half-past  one  o'clock.  On  Friday 
there  was  a  midnight  meeting,  and  four  were  rescued  from  sin 
and  shame.  The  Saturday  meeting  was  the  last  attended  by 
Mr.  Moody.  Hundreds  had  private  conversation  with  him 
afterward,  and  crowds  went  with  him  to  the  station,  en  route  for 
Carlisle." 


THE   REVIVAL    IN   SCOTLAND.  413 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 


THE    WORD    IN    EDINBURGH. 


Reports  of  the  wonderful  interest  reached  Scotland,  and 
Edinburgh  heard  the  story.  "  Rev.  Mr.  Kelman  went  twice  to 
Newcastle  to  see  if  the  reports  of  what  they  heard  were  true. 
He  returned  overflowing  with  joy,  and  full  of  glowing  expecta- 
tions for  Scotland."  He  spread  the  tidings;  his  report  was 
believed,  and  ministers  and  laymen  united  in  inviting  the  evan- 
gehsts  to  Edinburgh. 

On  Sunday,  the  23d  of  November,  they  began  their  work  in 
the  Music  Hall,  with  two  thousand  present,  and  other  thousands 
seeking  admission  in  vain.  The  next  day  five  hundred  met  at 
noon  to  pray,  and  soon  the  attendance  at  the  daily  prayer- 
meeting  exceeded  a  thousand.  An  all-day  meeting  was  held. 
A  meeting  for  students  was  announced  in  the  Eree  Assembly 
Hall.  So  great  was  the  eagerness  to  obtain  admittance,  that 
the  doors  were  besieged  by  an  immense  crowd  after  it  had 
become  apparent  that  the  hall  was  full.  Mr.  Moody  went  out 
and  addressed  the  thousands  in  the  open  air,  and  returned  and 
spoke  to  two  thousand  within,  the  most  eminent  professors  in 
Scotland  sitting  around  hira  on  the  platform.  A  service  was 
advertised  for  the  lower  classes,  and  three  thousand  attended. 
Every  evening  there  were  around  the  pulpit  ministers  of  all 
denominations,  from  all  parts  of  the  country,  while  among  the 
audience  there  were  members  of  the  nobility,  professors  from 
the  University,  and  distinguished  lawyers  from  the  Parliament 
House. 

At  this  time  many  abusive  pamphlets  were  put  forth  against 
the  methods  and  the  men^  and  reports  were  circulated  repre- 
senting that  Mr.  Moody  had  not  the  confidence  of  his  brethren 
at  hct^e.     Measures  were  taken  to  sift  this  evil  rumor  to  the 


414  MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN    GREAT    BRITAIN. 

bottom.     Accordingly  in  response  to   inquiries    from    abroad, 
the  following  endorsement  was  proposed  and  sent  to  Scotland  : 

Chicago,  May  21st,  1874. 

We,  the  undersigned,  Pastors  of  the  City  of  Chicago^  learn- 
ing that  the  Christian  character  of  D.  L.  Moody  has  been 
attacked,  for  the  purpose  of  destroying  his  influence  as  an  Evan- 
gelist in  Scotland,  hereby  certify  that  his  labors  in  the  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association,  and  as  an  Evangelist  in  this  City 
and  elsewhere,  according  to  the  best  information  we  can  get, 
have  been  Evangelical  and  Christian  in  the  highest  sense  of 
those  terms;  and  v/e  do  not  hesitate  to  commend  him  as  an 
earnest  Christian  worker,  worthy  of  the  confidence  of  our  Scotch 
and  English  brethren,  with  whom  he  is  now  laboring;  believing 
that  the  Master  will  be  honored  by  them  in  so  receiving  him 
am.ong  them  as  a  co-laborer  in  th*e  vineyard  of  the  Lord. 

A.  J.  Jutkins,  Presiding  Elder  of  Chicago  Dist. 

C.  H.  Fowler,  President  North-western  University. 

Arthur  Edwards,  Editor  North-western  Christian  Advocate 
(Methodist  organ),  Chicago. 

M.  C.  Briggs. 

S.  McChesney,  Pastor  of  the  Trinity  M.  E.  Church. 

W.  H.  Daniels,  Pastor  Park  Avenue  M.  E.  Church. 

Sanford  Washburn,  Pastor  Halsted  St.  Ch.,  Methodist 
Episc. 

C.  G.  Trusdell,  Gen.  Supt.  Chicago  Relief  and  Aid  Society. 

Wm.  F.  Stewart,  Sec.  Preachers'  Aid  Society. 

G.  L.  S.  Stuff,  Pastor  Fulton  St.  M.  E.  Church. 

T.  P.  Marsh,  Pastor  Austin  M.  E.  Church. 

Lewis  Meredith,  Pastor  Oakland  M.  E.  Church. 

Arthur  Mitchell,  Pastor  First  Presb.  Ch. 

Glen  Wood,  Western  Sec.  American  Tract  Society. 

C.  D.  Helmer,  Pastor  Union  Park  Congregational  Church. 

Arthur  Swazey,  Pastor  Ashland  Avenue  Presbyterian 
Church. 

Rev.  N.  F.  Ravlin.  Pastor  Temple  Ch. 

A.  G.  Eberhart,  Asst.  Pastor. 


THE    REVIVAL    IN    SCOTLAND.  415 

David  J.  Burrel,  Pastor  Westminster  Presbyterian  Church. 

David  Swing,  Fourth  Presbyterian  Church. 

Edward  P.  Goodwin,  Pastor  of  First  Cong.  Church. 

L.  T,,  Chamberlain,  Pastor  of  New  England  Cong.  Church. 

Edward  F.  Williams ;  Edward  N.  Packard  ;  John  Kimball  ; 
W.  A.  Lloyd  ;  C.  A.  Sowle ;  John  Bradshaw ;  C.  F.  Reed ;  S. 
F.  Dickinson  ;  A.  Wesley  Bill ;  Albert  Bushnell,  Congregational 
Ministers. 

T.  W.  Goodspeed,  Second  Baptist  Ch. 

W.  A.  Bartlett,  Plymouth  Cong.  Ch. 

R.  W.  Patterson,  Second  Presbyterian  Ch. 

W.  W.  Everts,  First  Baptist  Ch. 

Si  ATE  OF  Illinois,  Cook  County,  ) 

City  of   Chicago.  \  ^^' 

W.  \V.  Vanarsdale,  being  first  duly  sworn  upon  oath,  says 
that  he  is  the  Superintendent  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association  of  the  city  of  Chicago,  Illinois,  and  that  he  knows 
the  foregoing  signatures  to  be  genuine. 

W.  W.  VANARSDALE. 
Subscribed  and  sworn  to  before  me, 
this  26th  day  of  May,  1874. 

Isaac  H.  Pedrick,  Notary  Public, 

Thus  the  temporary  aspersion  was  removed,  and  he  was 
nobly  vindicated  as  a  true,  honest,  earnest  man  of  God. 

The  Tide  Rising. 

We  are  having  a  very  good  time  here  just  now,  under  the 
preaching  of  Mr.  Moody  and  the  singing  of  Mr.  Sankey. 

We  are  all  delighted  with  them ;  ministers  of  all  denomina- 
tions are  joining  cordially  in  the  work,  and  God  is  indeed  work- 
ing graciously.  About  2,000  are  out  every  night  hearing; 
many  more  come  and  cannot  get  into  the  church.  Two 
churches  are  to  be  opened  simultaneously  each  night  next  week. 

The  singing  of  Mr  Sankey  lays  the  gospel  message  and 
invitation  very  distinctly  and  powerfully  on  the  consciences  of 


4l6        MOODY  AND  SANKEY  IN  GREAT  BRITAIN. 

the  people  ;  and  Mr.  Moody's  gospel  is  clear,  earnest,  distinct, 
and  well  illustrated — telling  of  death  and  resurrection — the 
"  Gospel  of  God."  He  is  a  first-rate  workman,  and  very  prac- 
tical, and  God  has  been  blessing  his  preaching. 

Every  evening  there  have  been  a  number  of  souls  coming 
into  the  inquiry  rooms  ;  but  last  night,  when  preaching  on  "  the 
Son  of  man  came  to  seek  and  to  save  that  which  was  lost,"  the 
Spirit  seemed  to  be  working  in  special  power,  and  old  Foi-mal- 
ity  got  his  neck  broken,  and  the  wounded  and  weeping  souls 
came  into  the  inquiry  meeting  in  droves.  I  had  to  speak  at 
one  time  to  seven  all  at  once,  because  there  was  more  corn  than 
reapers  ;  and  others  were  similarly  circumstanced.  I  saw  Mr. 
Moody  all  the  evening  with  generally  more  than  one.  Three 
rooms  were  open  for  inquirers,  and  I  don't  know  what  they  had 
in  the  others,  but  we  had  about  forty  names  on  ih.e  paper  at  the 
close,  of  those  we  conversed  with  in  our  room.  Mr.  Moody 
keeps  with  us  in  the  elders'  vestry.  Others,  who  are  less  sus- 
ceptible and  can  stand  at  doors,  do  so,  and  lay  hold  of  the  peo- 
ple as  they  retire.  About  one  hundred,  I  should  think,  were 
spoken  with  privately  last  night,  and  numbers  of  them  decided 
for  Christ.  About  ten  did  so  (or  professed  to  do  so),  in  con- 
versation with  myself.  May  the  Divine  Spirit  make  it  a  grand 
reality  to  their  souls  that  Christ  is  theirs !  On  Tuesday  night 
I  had  seven  who  professed  conversion. 

On  Wednesday  I  fought  away  with  two  only,  both  chronic 
cases,  deep  in  the  mire  of  their  own  thoughts,  and  feelings,  and 
reasonings,  and  I  left  them  very  much  the  same  as  I  found 
them.  (One  of  them  has  been  saved.)  This  was,  I  suppose, 
to  teach  me  this  lesson,  that  it  is  altogether  God's  work  to  save, 
and  man  is  powerless. 

This  experience  made  me  go  out  next  night  with  Jesus'  word 
on  my  lips,  "This  kind  goeth  not  out  but  by  praye?-  and  fast- 
iiig; "  prayer  is  the  symbol  of  our  dependence  upon  God,  and 
fasting  is  the  symbol  of  "  no  confidence  in  the  flesh  " — or  self- 
renunciation.  No  devil  has  so  powerful  a  hold  of  an  anxious 
soul  but  that  prayer  and  fasting  will  cast  him  out  in  the  name 
of  Jesus. 


THE    REVIVAL    IN    SCOTLAND.  417 

Our  noon  prayer-meeting  is  well  attended  ;  about  700  are 
out  daily,  and  there  is  a  remarkable  quickening  and  earnestness 
among  ministers  and  Christians  generally.  I  know  Edinburgh 
well,  and  I  am  safe  to  say  that  I  never  knew  a  time  when  there 
was  a  greater  appearance  of  harmony  among  Christians  ;  unity 
among  the  Lord's  workers  ;  and  humble,  prayerful  waiting  upon 
God  for  blessing. 

On  Friday  there  was  much  blessing  to  Christians,  and  num- 
bers of  souls  were  also  brought  in.  On  that  evening  we  had 
delightful  work  in  the  inquiry  meeting,  and,  I  think,  I  had  about 
half-a-dozen  I  had  good  hope  of.  One  was  specially  interest- 
irg,  a  stranger  from  beyond  Stirling.  She  was  passing  through, 
came  to  the  meeting,  heard,  was  awakened,  came  into  the 
inquiry  meeting,  and  into  my  hands,  along  with  a  girl  of  twelve, 
and  both  professed  to  see  the  way  of  salvation.  This  woman 
was  astonished  to  hear  that  she  had  just  to  believe  what  she 
read  there  to  be  saved.  She  said,  "  Is  that  all  ?  have  I  only  to 
believe.?"  "Just  to  believe  that  forgiveness  is  yours  as  a  gift 
from  God."  "Then  I  do  believe."  "Then  God  says  you  are 
justified  from  all  things." 

Large  numbers  were  out  again  last  night,  and  we  had  a 
meeting  for  inquirers  at  the  Free  Assembly  Hall.  About  forty 
confessed  that  they  were  new  converts,  and  about  forty  stood 
up  as  anxious  to  be  saved,  and  were  asked  to  go  to  the  other 
side  of  the  hall,  where  they  were  conversed  with. 

I  got  down  beside  a  young  lady  whom  I  saw  anxious  in  the 
inquiry  meeting,  but  did  not  have  the  opportunity  of  speaking 
to  her,  and  kept  at  work  for  an  hour  with  her  over  the  Word  of 
God.  I  could  not  tell  you  at  length  the  deep  interest  of  this 
case  ;  but  at  the  close  I  had  some  hope  that  she  has  divine  life 
and  will  yet  get  liberty. 

A  beautiful  incident  happened  as  I  was  speaking  to  her.  A 
young  girl  bounded  up  to  us  and  said,  with  an  overflowing  joy, 
''  I  am  the  girl  you  spoke  to  at  the  Barclay  Church  and  gave  the 
book  to  ;  now  I  am  just  going,  but  could  not  leave  without 
coming  to  tell  you  that  I  have  found  Jesiis.'''' 

We  had  a  very  svv'eet  meeting  at  noon  to-day.     Mr.  Moody 


4l8  MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN    GREAT    BRITAIN. 

gave  US  the  prayers  that  God  does  not  answer — Moses,  Elijah, 
Paul.  I  pointed  out  to  him  afterward,  to  his  great  delight,  that 
Moses'  prayer  was  answered,  to  see  the  land  1483  years  after- 
ward, but  not  as  in  the  midst  of  Israel,  but  in  better  company, 
with  Jesus  in  the  midst,  on  the  mount  of  transfiguration  ;  and 
he  saw  the  land  in  the  light  of  the  glory  of  Christ.  And  when 
he  returned  he  did  not  care  a  bit  for  the  land.  He  was  all 
taken  up  with  Christ,  and  instead  of  speaking  of  it  or  the  goodly 
mountain  and  Lebanon,  he  and  Elias  spake  to  Him  of  His 
decease  that  he  should  accomplish  at  Jerusalem,  the  thing 
nearest  his  heart.  That  is  the  sight  we,  too,  shall  get  of  it  (if 
we  do  not  see  it  now)  when  He  comes  in  his  glory,  and  all  his 
saints  with  Him. 

We  have  had  a  most  impressive  address  from  Mr.  Moody 
this  evening  on  the  text,  "  Where  art  thou?  "  He  spoke  very 
solemnly  to  Christians,  and  said  if  they  were  to  wake  up,  Edin- 
burgh would  be  filled  with  awakening  from  one  end  to  the  other, 
inside  of  forty-eight  hours.  Then  he  spoke  to  sinners,  and  it 
was  most  alarming.     The  three  steps  to  hell,  he  said,  were — 

I.  Neglect ;  2.  Refuse ;  3.  Despise. 

He  told  them,  even  weeping,  of  their  danger,  and  besought 
them  to  get  the  question  settled  now.  Ah,  it  is  that  tender, 
weeping  power  in  dear  Mr.  Moody,  that  is  so  overwhelming  to 
sinners.  He  is  now  preaching  in  one  of  the  best  and  largest 
churches  of  the  New  Town,  and  yet  he  has  been  quite  as  faith- 
ful as  when  among  the  poor  last  week  in  the  Old  Town  ;  and 
there  have  been  some  marked  cases  of  awakening.  Mr.  San- 
key's  singing  of  "^  Jesus  of  Nazareth  "  had  a  fine  effect  upon 
them.  I  saw  it  striking  in  upon  the  hearts  of  many  ;  and  many 
weeping  eyes  told  of  its  power.  A  widow  in  front  of  me,  with 
her  little  boy  by  her  side,  was  moved  deeply,  and  publicly 
addressed  by  Mr.  Moody,  listened  with  very  wistful  eyes ;  and 
both  of  them  came  to  the  second  meeting.  I  was  anxious  about 
the  result  of  the  inquiry  meeting  in  that  church,  and  they  were 
rather  long  in  coming  in,  but  it  turned  out  nearly  as  good  as 
before.  About  fifty  were  conversed  with  this  first  night,  and 
there  seemed  to  be  quite  a  number  that  believed. 


THE    REVIVAL    IN    SCOTLAND. 


419 


The  first  I  got  hold  of  was  a  working  man  ;  and  after  show- 
ing him  in  the  Word  the  way  of  life  and  peace,  and  getting  him 
to  decide,  he  said  : 
"My  wife's  here." 
"  Where  .? " 

"  Sitting  there  by  herself." 
"  Please  bring  her  here." 

She,  too,  professed  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  they 
went  home  together  believing. 

Then  I  got  a  youth  about  eighteen  in  a  terrible  state  of 
anxiety,  and  wrought  with  him  a  long  time,  and  though  hopeful, 
I  do  not  know  that  he  sees  clearly ;  but  lie  lives  near  me,  and 
I  hope  to  see  him  again  to  morrow.  The  life  is  in,  I  believe, 
but  he  wants  liberty. 

Then  I  got  a  word  with  about  a  dozen  besides,  and  gave 
them  books. 

I  saw  three  all  at  once  profess  Christ  in  Mr.  Moody's  hands. 
But  there  were  chronic  cases  that  baffled  the  whole  of  us, 
and  after  ten  o'clock  there  was  a  man  in  a  corner  to  whom  Mr. 
Gall  had  spoken  all  night,  who  was  all  but  desperate  with  con- 
viction, Mr.  Moody  prayed  with  him,  and  he  was  bowed  down 
and  weeping,  but  he  had  to  leave  him  still  in  bondage,  showing 
now  entirely  it  is  God's  work  to  set  a  soul  free. 

Mr.  Sankey  sang  "  yesus  of  Nazareth  pas seth  by.''  There 
was  a  power  in  it ;  many  wept.  At  the  close  I  had  three  or 
four  anxious  sinners,  and  about  as  many  anxious  saints.  Mr. 
Moody  had  a  goodly  number  professing  faith  in  his  hands. 
Others  also  were  busy.  I  had  some  interesting  cases  of  saints 
in  darkness  who  again  got  light.  Just  as  I  was  leaving,  Mr. 
Moody  put  into  my  hands  a  young  lady  who  had  been  conversed 
with  by  one  and  another  all  the  evening  ;  and  just  as  I  spoke  the 
very  last  word  lintended to  speak  to  her,  her  face  was  lighted  up 
with  joy,  and  she  said,  "  I  now  trust  in  the  Lord  Jesus."  Dr. 
Thomson  remarked  as  we  were  coming  out,  that  he  thought 
it  had  been  a  night  of  more  solid  work  than  any  we  have  yet 
had.  One  good  thing  in  being  in  one  of  the  New  Town 
churches  is,  that  '4he  poor  rich,"  as  a  noble  worker  calls  them, 


420  MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN    GREAT    BRITAIN. 

have  got  a  chance  for  their  souls.  The  most  respectable  men 
and  women  have  been  plentiful  in  the  meeting,  and  not  absent 
from  the  inquiry  rooms.  The  poor  have  far  more  privileges 
and  opportunities  of  being  saved  than  the  better  classes.  Eut 
they,  too,  are  getting  a  chance  now  ;  and  we  have  seen  some 
marked  instances  of  salvation  among  them.  We  returned  home, 
praising  God  for  his  grace  and  blessing. 

I  have  observed  that  Mr.  Moody  speaks  to  inquirers  with 
an  open  Bible  in  his  hands,  fixing  them  down  to  the  Word 
of  God,  and  anchoring  their  souls  on  the  living  rock  of  the  Holy 
Scriptures.  He  also  gets  them  to  their  knees  in  prayer ;  and 
I  have  seen  them  rising  from  his  side  by  twos  and  threes,  wiping 
their  eyes,  and  smiling  through  their  tears,  confessing  Christ. 

Dr.  Thomson  said,  "  I  think  there  could  not  have  been 
fewer  than  one  hundred  inquirers  here  to-night,  and  I  think 
more  have  professed  faith  in  Christ  than  any  night''  It  was 
very  cheering  to  see  the  great  heartiness  with  which  Dr.  Thom- 
son entered  into  the  vvork  of  the  inquirers'  meeting  ;  and  also  to 
see  other  ministers  there,  in  considerable  force,  from  his  own 
church  and  other  churches  engaged  in  pointing  sinners  to  Christ. 
Having  been  every  night  at  work  for  an  hour  and  a  half  in  the 
inquiry  meeting,  and  judging  of  the  work  from  seeing  about 
forty  come  to  Christ  in  my  own  hands,  I  judge  that  the  Lord  is 
doing  marvellous  things  among  us,  whereof  we  are  glad. 

Seven  professed  faith  in  Christ  all  at  one  time  in  one  com- 
pany, and  we  had  a  conviction  that  it  w^as  reality  in  at  least 
four  of  them.  On  Friday  night,  after  Mr.  Moody's  solemn 
word,  there  seemed  to  be  a  great  smashing  up  of  souls  (as  Mr. 
Radcliffe  used  to  call  it),  and  among  others,  a  lady  came  into 
my  hands  from  San  Francisco,  California,  here  for  the  healing 
of  her  body  ;  and  her  trouble  was  that  the  Spirit,  she  thought, 
had  left  her.  We  showed  that  her  anxiety  to  be  saved  and  her 
clinging  to  Christ  were  evidences  to  the  contrary ;  and  she 
left  after  ten  minutes'  conversation  in  a  state  of  blessed  eman- 
cipation and  comfort.  She  was  brought  to  me  by  one  who  got 
put  of  bondage  the  night  before  ;  and  I  said,  "  Perhaps  you  will 
be  bringing  two  each  on  Sunday  night." 


THE    REVIVAL    IN    SCOTLAND.  421 

The  last  case  we  dealt  with  on  Friday  night  was  the  most 
solemn  we  have  seen,  except  that  man  who  was  specially  prayed 
for  in  the  noon-day  meeting  the  other  day,  and  saved  that  night. 
This  was  a  young  woman  weeping  floods  of  tears.  She  com- 
plained of  a  hard  heart,  and  feared  the  scorn  of  the  ungodly 
when  she  went  home  ;  she  faintly  professed  faith  in  Christ. 

I  felt  such  an  interest  in  this  girl  that  I  could  not  sleep 
without  sending  her  a  line  by  post,  inviting  her  to  come  next 
day  that  my  wife  might  read  the  Scriptures  with  her,  and  tell 
her  more  about  the  Lord  Jesus.  She  came:  I  was  at  a  meet- 
ing I  have  on  Saturday  evening.  We  made  special  prayer  for 
her,  and  the  person  who  led  us  seemed  to  get  near  to  God,  and 
we  had  a  conviction  that  we  were  heard.  It  was  so  ;  for  on 
my  return  home,  I  was  met  with  the  cheering  intelligence, 
"The  girl  has  been  here  :  I  have  read  with  her  for  nearly  two 
hours  ;  and  she  has  just  left,  saved  and  happy.  She  said  she 
faintly  believed  last  night,  as  you  said,  but  she  is  now  at 
liberty,  and  says  she  never  saw  the  fullness  and  freeness  of 
salvation  as  she  sees  it  now.  Her  eyes  were  red  and  swollen 
with  weeping  last  night  ;  but  she  was  looking  bright  and  smi- 
ling ;  and  the  only  tears  she  wept  were  tears  of  expressed 
gratitude  that  Jesus  had  received  her,  and  that  we  had  been  so 
interested  in  her  as  to  care  for  her  for  Jesus'  sake  as  we  had 
done."  We  have  seen  her  since,  and  she  is  looking  unto  Jesus; 
but  her  demeanor  is  quiet  and  subdued,  and  she  looks  as  one 
would  do  who  had  just  escaped  from  drowning,  or  from  a  terri- 
ble railway  collision. 

We  have  had  a  meeting  to-day  for  parents  and  children.  It 
assembled — about  2,000  were  present ;  the  parents  got  a  good 
word.  Our  dear  brother  Sankey's  singing  happily  gave  the 
Gospel  to  the  children  in  a  number  of  gospel  hymns. 

Mr.  Moody  addressed  parents  from  Deut.  iv.  5-1 1  ;  v.  29  ; 
yi.  7,  Some  young  people  think  they  hear  too  much  about 
Christ  and  salvation  from  their  parents,  but  here  they  have 
authority  from  God  to  speak  of  them,  morning,  noon,  and 
night ;  when  lying  down  and  rising  up  ;  when  sitting  in  the 
Jiouse  and  v/alking  by  the  v;ay.     There  should    be    the  most 


42  2  MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    GREAT    BRITAIN. 

diligent  instruction  of  tlie  young  by  parents,  storing  their  minds 
with  the  Word  of  God. 

Then  from  Mark  x.  13-17  he  addressed  the  children,  and 
said  that  this  is  the  only  time  when  Christ  was  said  to  be 
much  displeased.  He  told  of  the  daughter  of  an  infidel  dying 
in  peace,  after  being  only  five  weeks  at  the  Sunday  school. 
Also,  of  a  boy  of  twelve,  who  heard  Dr.  Chalmers  preach,  and 
came,  at  the  close  of  the  service,  and  said  he  had  nothing  to 
give,  but  he  would  give  himself  to  Christ.  He  did  so,  and  has 
been  the  means  in  our  country  of  establishing  many  Sabbath- 
schools,  with  tens  of  thousands  of  scholars,  and  out  of  them 
have  grown  as  many  as  thirty-eight  churches,  in  which  are 
many  precious  souls  saved  and  happy,  all  through  this  boy 
coming  to  Christ  and  giving  himself  to  Him. 

Dr.  Thomson  said  :  I  should  consider  it  a  very  superflu- 
ous work  to  say  anything  of  the  trustworthiness  of  these  excel- 
lent men.  They  have  come  among  us  not  as  unknown  adven- 
turers without  "  letters  of  commendation,''  but  as  long-tried  and 
honored  laborers  in  the  fields  of  evangelism  in  their  own 
country,  and  more  recently  in  Newcastle  and  other  towns  in  the 
north  of  England,  where  there  appears  to  have  been  a  pente- 
costal  blessing  in  which  every  denomination  of  Christians  has 
shared.  And  the  ministers,  and  elders,  and  deacons  of  our 
different  churches  that  have  gathered  around  them  every  even- 
ing, and  shared  with  them  in  their  blessed  work,  prove  the 
confidence  in  which  they  are  held  by  those  in  whom  the  Christian 
people  of  Edinburgh  are  accustomed  to  place  confidence. 

The  service  of  song  conducted  by  Mr.  Sanke}',  in  which 
music  is  used  as  the  handmaid  of  a  Gospel  ministry,  has 
already  been  described  in  your  columns.  I  have  never  found 
it  objected  to  except  by  those  who  have  not  witnessed  it. 
Those  who  have  come  and  heard,  have  departed  with  their 
prejudices  vanquished  and  their  hearts  impressed.  We  might 
quote,  in  commendation  of  this  somewhat  novel  manner  of 
preaching  the  Gospel,  the  words  of  good  George  Herbert : 

"  A  verse  may  win  him  who  the  Gospel  flies, 
And  turn  delight  into  a  sacrifice." 


THE    REVIVAL    IN    SCOTLAND.  423 

There  is  nothing  of  novelty  in  the  doctrine  which  Mr. 
Moody  proclaims.  It  is  the  old  Gospel — old,  yet  always  fresh 
and  young,  too,  as  the  living  fountain  or  the  morning  sun — in 
which  the  substitution  of  Christ  is  placed  in  the  centre  and  pre- 
sented with  admirable  distinctness  and  decision.  It  is  spoken 
with  impressive  directness,  not  as  by  a  man  half  convinced  and 
who  seems  always  to  feel  that  a  skeptic  is  looking  over  his 
shoulder,  but  with  a  deep  conviction  of  the  truth  of  what  he 
says,  as  if^  like  our  own  Andrew  Fuller,  he  could  ^'  venture  his 
eternity  on  it,"  and  with  a  tremendous  earnestness,  as  if  he  felt 
that  "  if  he  did  not  speak  the  very  stones  would  cry  out."'  The 
illustrations  and  anecdotes,  drawn  principally  from  his  strangely- 
varied  life,  are  so  wisely  chosen,  so  graphically  told,  and  so 
well  applied  as  never  to  fail  in  hitting  the  mark. 

I  wish  once  more  to  call  attention  to  one  essential  feature 
in  the  action  of  these  good  men — the  daily  noon-day  meeting 
for  prayer.  It  began  some  weeks  ago  in  an  upper  room  in 
Queen  Street  Hall.  That  was  filled  after  a  few  days.  Next  it 
was  transferred  to  Queen  Street  Hall,  which  is  capable  of  hold- 
ing T,2oo  persons.  It  was  not  long  ere  this  became  over- 
crov/ded,  and  now  there  are  full  meetings  every  day  in  the  Free 
Assembly  Hall,  which  is  capable  of  holding  some  hundreds 
more.  It  is  a  fact  with  a  meaning  in  it,  that  simultaneously 
with  the  increase  in  the  noon-day  meeting  for  jDrayer  has  been 
the  increase  in  attendance  in  Broughton  Place  Church  at  the 
evening  addresses,  and  also  in  the  number  of  inquirers  after- 
wards. Before  the  end  of  last  week  every  inch  of  standing- 
ground  in  our  large  place  of  worship  was  occupied  with  eager 
listeners,  and  hundreds  were  obliged  to  depart  without  being 
able  to  obtain  so  much  as  a  sight  of  the  speaker.  The  number 
of  inquirers  gradually  rose  from  fifty  to  a  hundred  per  night, 
and  on  Monday  evening  this  week,  when  the  aw^akened  and 
those  who  professed  to  have  undergone  the  "  great  change  " 
were  gathered  together  in  our  church  hall,  to  be  addressed  by 
Mr.  Moody,  no  other  persons  being  admitted,  there  were  nearly 
three  hundred  present,  and  even  these  were  only  a  part  of  the 
fruits  of  one  week,     I   wish  to  give  prominence  to  the   state- 


424  MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN    GREAT    BRITAIN. 

ment  that  the  persons  who  conversed  with  the  perplexed  and  in- 
quiring were  ministers,  elders,  and  deacons,  and  qualified  pri- 
vate members  of  our  various  churches  ;  and  also  Christian 
matrons  and  Bible-women,  as  far  as  their  valuable  services 
could  be  secured. 

And  now,  at  the  close  of  the  week  of  special  services  in 
Broughton  Place  Church,  I  wish  to  repeat  the  statement  in  your 
paper  which  I  made  on  Monday  in  the  Assembly  Hall,  that 
there  is  no  week  in  my  lengthened  ministry  upon  which  I  look 
back  with  such  grateful  joy.  I  would  not  for  the  wealth  of  a 
world  have  the  recollection  of  what  I  have  seen  and  heard  during 
the  past  week  blotted  out  from  my  memory.  When  Howe  was 
Chaplain  to  Cromwell  at  Whitehall,  he  became  weary  of  the 
turmoil  and  pomp  of  the  palace,  and  wrote  to  his  "  dear  and 
honored  brother,"  Richard  Baxter^  telling  him  how  much  he 
longed  to  be  back  again  to  his  beloved  work  at  Torrington. 
"  [  have  devoted  myself,"  he  said,  "  to  serve  God  in  the  work 
of  the  ministry,  and  how  can  I  want  the  pleasure  of  hearing 
their  cryings  and  complaints  who  have  come  to  me  under  con- 
victions." I  have  shared  with  many  beloved  brethren  during 
the  past  week  in  this  sacred  pleasure,  and  it  is  like  eating  of 
angels'  bread,  first  to  hear  the  cry  of  conviction,  and  yet  more  to 
hear  at  length  the  utterance  of  the  joy  of  reconciliation  and  peace  ! 

I  was  much  struck  by  the  variety  among  the  inquirers. 
There  were  present  from  the  old  man  of  seventy-five  to  the 
youth  of  eleven,  soldiers  from  the  Castle,  students  from  the  Uni- 
versity, the  backsliding,  the  intemperate,  the  skeptical,  the  rich 
and  the  poor,  the  educated  and  the  uneducated ;  and  in  how 
many  instances  'were  the  wounded  healed  and  the  burdened 
released  ! 

It  may  be  encouraging  to  Christian  parents  and  teachers  to 
be  told  that  very  much  of  this  marvellous  blessing,  when  once 
begun  in  a  house,  has  spread  through  the  whole  family,  and 
those  who  already  had  the  knowledge  of  divine  truth  in  their 
minds  by  early  Christian  education,  formed  by  far  the  largest 
proportion  of  the  converts.  The  seed  was  there  sleeping  in  the 
soil,  which  the  influence  from  above  quickened  into  life. 


THE    REVIVAL    IN    SCOTLAND.  425 

There  was  a  considerable  number  of  skeptics  among  the 
inquirers,  but  their  speculative  doubts  and  difficulties  ver}' 
soon  became  of  no  account  when  they  came  to  have  a  proper 
view  of  their  sins.  Some  have  already  come  to  tell  me  of 
their  renunciation  of  unbelief,  and  their  discipleship  to  Christ. 
One  has  publicly  announced  that  he  can  no  longer  live  in  the 
ice-house  of  cold  negations,  and  has  asked  Mr.  Moody  to  pub- 
lish the  address  which  brought  light  to  his  heart,  and  to  circu- 
late it  far  and  wide  over  the  land. 

I  witnessed  no  excesses  in  the  inquiry  rooms,  but  there  was 
often  deep  and  melting  solemnity,  sometimes  the  sob  of  sorrow, 
and  the  whispered  prayer  of  contrition  or  gratitude.  There 
must,  however,  occur  at  times  imprudent  things  and  excesses 
in  connection  with  even  the  best  works  that  have  imperfect 
though  good  men  employed  about  them.  But  cold  criticism 
that  is  in  search  of  faults,  or  ultra-prudence  that  attempts  noth- 
ing from  fear  of  making  mistakes,  is  not  the  temper  in  which  to 
regard  such  events.  I  would  not  dare  to  take  either  of  these 
positions,  "  lest  haply  I  should  be  found  to  be  fighting  against 
God." 

I  have  already  expressed  my  high  appreciation  of  Mr. 
Moody's  manner  of  addressing.  If  some  think  that  it  wants 
the  polished  elegance  of  certain  of  our  home  orators,  it  has 
qualities  that  are  far  more  valuable  ;  and  even  were  it  otherwise, 
the  great  thing  is  to  have  the  gospel  of  the  grace  of  God  clearly 
and  earnestly  preached  to  the  multitudes  who  are  crowding 
every  night  to  listen  to  him.  When  the  year  of  jubilee  came  in 
ancient  times  among  the  Jews,  I  suspect  the  weary  bond-slave 
or  the  poor  debtor  cared  little  whether  it  was  proclaimed  to 
him  with  silver  trumpets  or  rams'  horns,  if  he  could  only  be 
assured  that  he  was  free. 

The  following  paper  was  issued,  and  sent  to  every  denomi- 
nation in  Scotland  : 

"  Edinburgh  is  now  enjoying  signal  manifestations  of  grace. 
Many  of  the  Lord's  people  are  not  surprised  at  this.  In 
October  and  November  last,  they  met  from  time  to  time  to 
pray   for   it.     They   hoped  that  they  might  have  a  visit  from 


426  MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN    GREAT    BRITAIN. 

Messrs.  Moody  and  Sankey  of  America,  but  they  very  earnestly 
besought  the  Lord  that  He  would  deliver  them  from  depending 
upon  them,  or  on  any  instrumentality,  and  that  He  himself 
would  come  with  them,  or  come  before  them.  He  has  gra- 
ciously answered  that  prayer,  and  His  own  presence  is  now 
wonderfully  manifested,  and  is  felt  to  be  among  them.  God  is 
so  affecting  the  hearts  of  men,  that  the  Free  Church  Assembly 
Hall,  the  largest  public  building  in  Edinburgh,  is  crowded  every 
day  at  noon  with  a  meeting  for  prayer  ;  and  that  building,  along 
with  the  Established  Church  Assembly  Hall,  overflows  every 
evening  when  the  Gospel  is  preached.  But  the  numbers  that 
attend  are  not  the  most  remarkable  feature.  It  is  the  presence 
and  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  the  solemn  awe,  the  prayer- 
ful, believing,  expectant  spirit,  the  anxious  inquiry  of  unsaved 
souls,  and  the  longing  of  believers  to  grow  more  like  Christ, — 
their  hungering  and  thirsting  after  holiness.  The  hall  of  the 
Tolbooth  Church,  and  the  Free  High  Church  are  nightly 
attended  by  anxious  inquirers.  Ail  denominational  and  social 
distinctions  are  entirely  merged.     All  this  is  of  the  God  of  Grace. 

"  Another  proof  of  the  Holy  Spirit's  presence  is,  that  a 
desire  has  been  felt  and  expressed  in  these  meetings,  that  all 
Scotland  should  share  the  blessing  that  the  capital  is  now 
enjoying. 

"  It  is  impossible  that  our  beloved  friends  from  America 
should  visit  every  place,  or  even  all  those  to  which  they  have 
been  urged  to  go.  But  this  is  not  necessary.  The  Lord  is 
willing  Himself  to  go  wherever  He  is  truly  invited.  He  is 
waiting.  The  Lord's  people  in  Edinburgh,  therefore,  would 
affectionately  entreat  all  their  brethren  throughout  the  land  to 
be  importunate  in  invoking  Him  to  come  to  them,  and  dismiss 
all  doubt  as  to  His  being  willing  to  do  so. 

"The  week  of  prayer,  from  4th  to  nth  January  next,  affords 
a  favorable  opportunity  for  combined  action.  In  every  town 
and  hamlet  let  there  be  a  daily  meeting  for  prayer  during  that 
week,  and  also  as  often  as  may  be  before  it.  In  Edinburgh  the 
hour  is  from  12  to  i,  and  v.here  the  same  hour  suits  other 
places,  it  would  be  pleasing  to  meet  together  in   faith  at  the 


THE    REVIVAL    IN    SCOTLAND. 


427 


throne  of  grace.  But  let  the  prayers  not  be  formal,  unbelieving, 
unexpecting,  but  short,  fervent,  earnest  entreaties,  mingled  with 
abounding  praise  and  frequent  short  exhortations  ;  and  let  them 
embrace  the  whole  world,  that  God's  way  may  be  known  upon 
earth,  His  saving  health  among  all  nations.  If  the  country  will 
thus  fall  on  their  knees,  the  God  who  has  filled  our  national 
history  with  the  wonders  of  His  love,  will  come  again  and  sur- 
prise even  the  strongest  believers  by  the  unprecedented  tokens 
of  His  grace.  '  Call  unto  me  and  I  will  answer  thee  and  show 
thee  great  and  mighty  things  which  thou  knowest  not.'  " 

This    was    signed   by  thirty-eight   ministers  of  all    denom- 
inations. 

Mr.    Moody     addressed    some    special    meetings    in    Free 
Assembly  Hall. 

On    Sabbath    morning,    December     14,    he   addressed   the 
young  men  of  the  Sabbath-morning  Fellowship  Union. 

On    Friday,  December    19,  he  preached   to  young  men  on 
being  born  again. 

On  Sabbath  morning,  December  21,  he  addressed  Sabbath- 
school  teachers. 

The  same  evening  he  preached  to  the  students  of  Edinburgh 
University  and  the  New  College,  on  "  There  is  no  difference." 
This  was  one  of  the  most  magnificent  sights  I  have  ever  wit- 
nessed. On  the  platform  with  him  were  numbers  of  professors 
of  both  colleges,  and  I  believe,  the  majority  of  the  students. 
The  hall  was  densely  crowded,  and  I  question  whether  he  ever 
addressed  a  more  intelligent  audience,  or  one  that  gave  him  more 
profound  and  riveted  attention.  Had  they  not  had  confidence 
in  him,  and  felt  his  power,  and,  we  trust,  the  higher  power  of 
God's  Spirit  and  truth,  they  would  not  have  sat  for  more  than 
two  hours  with  such  quietness.  He  commanded  that  immense 
meeting  of  about  two  thousand  men,  as  no  man  on  that  plat- 
form, save  Dr.  Duff,  could  have  done.  The  living  power  of 
God's  Holy  Spirit  was  felt  giving  the  word,  and  laying  convic- 
tion on  the  conscience.  The  Gospel  given  at  the  end  was  most 
touchingly  illustrated,  and  the  very  appropriate  hymn  sung  by 
Mr.  Sankey,  ''  I  am  sweeping  through  the  gates,'  gave  a  spirit- 


428  MOODY    AND    SAN  KEY    IN    GREAT    BRITAIN. 

ual  finish  to  the  whole  that  had  been  spoken.  It  was  an  oppor- 
tunity such  as  no  man  ever  before  enjo3'ed  here  ;  and  we  can- 
not doubt  but  that  God  has  given  and  used  it  for  the  conversion 
of  souls  and  the  glory  of  Christ. 

At  half-past  eight  o'clock,  December  29,  there  was  a  meet- 
ing held  in  the  Corn  Exchange,  Grassmarket,  which  was  at- 
tended by  about  3,000  persons  belonging  to  the  poorer  classes. 
The  Rev.  Mr.  Morgan  opened  this  meeting  with  prayer. 

Mr.  Moody  began  his  address  by  telling  the  well-known 
story  about  Rowland  Hill  and  Lady  Erskine.  Her  ladyship 
was  driving  past  a  crowd  of  people  to  whom  Hill  was  preaching. 
She  asked  who  the  preacher  was,  and,  on  being  informed,  told 
her  coachman  to  drive  nearer.  Rowland  Hill,  seeing  her  ap- 
proach, asked  who  she  was,  and  when  he  was  told,  he  said 
there  was  a  soul  there  for  sale.  Who  would  bid,  he  asked,  for 
Lady  Erskine's  soul  ?  There  was  Satan's  offer.  He  would  give 
pleasure,  honor,  position,  and,  in  fact,  the  whole  world.  There 
was  also,  he  said,  the  offer  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  who  would  give 
pardon,  peace,  joy,  rest,  and  at  last  heaven  and  glory.  He  then 
asked  Lady  Erskine  which  of  these  bids  she  would  accept. 
Ordering  her  coachman  to  open  her  carriage-door,  she  pressed 
her  way  through  the  crowd  to  where  the  preacher  was,  and  said, 
"Lord  Jesus,  I  give  my  soul  to  Thee  ;  accept  of  it." 

Mr.  Moody  went  on  to  urge  on  his  hearers  to  give  them- 
selves there  and  then  to  the  same  Saviour  who  was  that  day 
preached  in  the  hearing  of  Lady  Erskine,  and  accepted  by  her. 
He  brought  out  the  freeness  of  the  gospel  offer,  and  the  im- 
portance of  immediately  closing  with  it.  He  mentioned  several 
instances  of  conversion — one  of  them  concerning  a  soldier,  who 
had  been  at  the  meeting  of  the  previous  night  in  that  same  hall, 
and  who  had  afterward  gone  up  to  the  Assembly  Hall,  had 
received  Christ  there,  and  was  now  professing  himself  a  Chris- 
tian man. 

Mr.  Sankey  sang  several  of  his  hymns — "  The  Lifeboat," 
"  Jesus  of  Nazareth  jxisseth  by,"  and  "  The  Prodigal  Child," 
being  among  them. 

The   meeting  on  Sunday  night,  Dec.  28,  seems  to  have  been 


THE    REVIVAL    IN    SCOTLAND.  429 

the  most  extraordinary  of  all  these  meetings.  Though  there 
were  about  5,000  persons  present,  the  most  perfect  order  was 
observed,  and  the  deepest  interest  manifested  in  the  proceedings. 
After  this  meeting  was  over,  hundreds  pressed  up  to  the  Free 
Assembly  Hal!,  and  when  the  question  was  put  if  there  were 
any  there  anxious  about  their  souls  and  desiring  to  be  saved, 
the  whole  body  rose  to  their  feet  in  answer  to  the  question. 
The  interest  shown  was  such  as  many  of  those  present  had 
never  before  seen  in  the  course  of  a  long  ministry  among  the 
people.  Mr.  Moody  expressed  himself  as  more  impressed  by  it 
than  he  had  been  by  anything  he  had  ever  before  seen. 

Mr.    Moody   preached    on   Sabbath    forenoon    in    Free  St. 
George's  Church,  his  subject  being,  "What  Christ  has  done  for 
man."      This    he    treated    very   generally.      In    the    afternoon 
Messrs.  Moody  and  Sankey  conducted  evangelistic  services  in 
the   Free  Assembly  Hall  and   the   Free  High  Church   at  five 
o'clock,  and  in  the  Established  Assembly  Hall  and  Free  St. 
John's  Church  at  six  o'clock— these  meetings  being  for  females 
only.     The  Jubilee   Singers  sang  at  each   of  these   m.eetings. 
There  was  an  immense  meeting  in  the  Corn  Exchange,  Grass- 
market,  at  seven  o'clock.     The  great  hall  was  filled  with  people, 
who  stood  closely  packed  together  in  every  part  of  it.     There 
must    have    been    between  6,000    and   7,000  persons    present. 
Short  addresses  were  delivered  by  several  ministers  and  laymen, 
frequent  prayer  engaged  in,  and  a  great  number  of  hymns  sung 
by  Mr.  Sankey  and  the  Jubilee  Singers.     These  hymns  had 
each  of  them  a   bearing   on  the  thoughts  or  sentiments   that 
formed  the  themes  of  the  addresses  by  which  they  w^ere  pre- 
ceded.    There  was  the  most  perfect  quiet  observed  by 'the  vast 
assemblage,  and  both  addresses  and  hymns  were  listened  to 
with  the  utmost  attention. 

In  his  address  Mr.  Moody  pointed  out  that  though  it  was 
because  of  Adam's  sin  man  was  condemned,  it  was  not  because 
of  it  that  any  one  would  be  lost,  but  because  they  neglected  to 
lay  hold  of  the  remedy. 

Mr.  Moody  preached  to  about  fifteen  thoicsmtd  this  first 
Lord's-day  of  1874,  at  seven  different  times.     His  passion  for 


430  MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN    GREAT   BRITAIN. 

saving  souls  is  self-consuming.  Let  all  Christians  pray  that  he 
may  be  upheld  by  God,  in  body  and  soul,  and  blessed  more 
and  more. 

Tens  of  thousands  of  men,  women,  and  children  of  all 
classes  of  the  community  have  crowded  the  Iialls  and  churches 
where  they  have  preached  and  sung  of  Christ  and  the  Gospel. 

Multitudes  of  men  assembled  in  the  Corn  Exchange,  and 
multitudes  of  women  in  the  Assembly  Halls  and  adjoining 
churches  on  the  Lord's  day  to  hear  words  whereby  they  might 
be  saved  ;  and  on  the  week  days  the  daily  prayer-meeting,  noon, 
and  night,  was  crowded  with  eager  anxious  throngs  of  Christians 
or  anxious  ones ;  while  in  the  Newington  U.  P.  Church  and  the 
Canongate  Parish  Church,  fully  three  thousand  came  together 
nightly  to  listen  to  the  singing  and  preaching  of  the  glorious 
Gospel  of  Christ. 

Bible  lectures  have  been  held  in  the  Free  Assembly  Hall, 
Viewforth  Church,  West  Coates  Church,  and  Free  St.  Mary's, 
and  thereby  have  received  clearer  light  on  the  Gospel,  more 
stable  standing  on  the  sure  foundation,  and  blessed  freedom 
from  bondage. 

Mr.  Moody's  excellent  plan  of  making  the  Bible  speak  for 
itself  by  quoting  text  after  text  and  commenting  on  them,  and 
enforcing  them  by  striking  illustrations,  has  been  of  eminent 
use  among  Christians  who  had  life  but  no  liberty.  Christ  haa 
said  through  him  to  many  a  young  and  groaning  one,  "  Loose 
him,  and  let  him  go." 

Mr.  Moody's  clear  preaching  of  grace  reigning  through 
righteousness  and  salvation  by  grace  without  the  works  of  the 
law,  and  the  believer's  place  in  Christ  where  there  is  now  no 
condemnation,  and  sin  shall  not  have  dominion  over  us,  because 
we  are  not  under  law,  but  under  grace,  is  fitted  to  give  imme- 
diate relief  to  burdened,  unclear,  and  legal  Christians,  of  whom 
we  have  crowds. 

His  mind  has  evidently  been  in  contact  with  clear  Scrip- 
ture teachings,  such  as  one  seldom  meets  with  in  our  day :  for 
he  has  learned  to  draw  his  words  of  grace  and  truth  from  the 
clear   crystal   river   of  divine    Revelation,  and    not   from    the 


THE   REVIVAL   IN   SCOTLAND.  43 1 

muddy  streams  of  human  theology  ;  and  if  we,  ministers  of 
Christ,  are  still  to  get  a  hearing  from  the  people  who  have  hung 
as  if  spell-bound  on  the  ministry  of  Mr.  Moody,  we  must  preach 
in  the  same  simple,  scriptural,  loving,  and  direct  manner.  He 
has  lifted  up  a  crucified  and  glorified  Christ,  honored  the  Holy 
Ghost  by  believing  in  His  constant  presence  and  grace,  and 
his  Gospel  has  been  made  the  power  of  God  unto  salvation  to 
unnumbered  souls.  We  calculate  that  as  many  as  30,000  have 
listened  to  his  beseeching  voice. 

The  work  of  grace  is  no  doubt  deep,  wide-spread,  and  ex- 
traordinary, as  compared  with  the  state  of  things  spiritually 
previous  to  the  coming  of  those  earnest  men  ;  but  it  is  only  the 
ordinary  and  normal  result  of  prayer  and  preaching,  which  the 
model  of  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  warrants  us  in  expecting 
when  all  the  disciples  of  Christ  are  continuing  with  one  accord 
in  prayer  and  supplications,  and  in  dependence  in  the  Holy 
Ghost  are  bending  all  their  energies  to  the  one  work  of  getting 
the  Christ  of  God  magnified  by  the  conversion  of  perishing 
souls.  When  we  consider  that  the  great  bulk  of  the  ministers 
and  Christian  people  of  Edinburgh  have  been  doing  almost 
nothing  else  for  nearly  two  months  but  giving  themselves  to 
receive  blessing,  and  to  co-operate  with  our  excellent  friends  to 
make  the  Gospel  triumphant  in  the  city  ;  and  when  we  consider 
that  there  has  been  this  concerted,  continued,  and  concentrated 
effort  towards  this  one  thing,  we  have  hardly  seen  so  much  fruit 
as  we  might  reasonably  have  expected  ;  and  we  are  very  sure 
if  there  had  not  been  much  grieving  and  quenching  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  of  God  among  us  in  connection  with  this  work,  both  se- 
cretly and  openh%  He  would  have  wrought  with  mightier  power, 
and  the  harvest  of  souls  would  have  been  much  more  abundant. 

There  has  never  been,  as  in  other  days,  thousands  pentecos 
tally  smitten  simultaneously  :  whole  meetings  arrested  as  in  the 
years  of  the  right  hand  of  the  Most  High  in  times  past,  and 
made  to  stand  still  and  see  the  salvation  of  God.  Might  the 
Lord  not  have  given  such  power  as  would  have  left  hundreds, 
instead  of  tens,  anxiously  inquiring  what  must  we  do,  if  there 
had  been  an  entire  exclusion  of  "  the  flesh  "  and  a  total  self- 


432  MOODY   AND   SANKEY    IN    GREAT    BRITAIN. 

surrender  on  the  part  of  Christians,  more  regard  for  the  glory 
of  Christ,  less  grieving  and  quenching  and  more  honoring  of 
the  Holy  Ghost  ? 

We  do  not  quite  sympathize  with  some  things  which  have 
been  said  about  Mr.  Moody's  preaching,  and  especially  that  he 
is  not  eloquent.  What,  we  would  ask,  makes  the  meetings  flat 
when  he  is  absent  but  the  want  of  a  quality  he  possesses  ?  and 
what  makes  them  full  of  life  and  spiritual  emotion  when  he  is 
present,  but  just  the  superior  divine  eloquence  which  flows  in 
his  burning  words,  as  if  an  electric  current  were  passing  through 
every  heart  ? 

He  is  the  most  powerful  speaker — the  most  eloquent 
preacher — who  most  fully  carries  an  audience  with  him  and 
produces  the  greatest  results  ;  and  if  Mr.  Moody  is  judged  by 
such  a  rule,  he  is  one  of  the  most  eloquent  of  living  men,  for 
none  of  us  here  who  are  ministers  feel  the  least  desire  to  speak 
if  he  is  present,  for  with  all  our  university  training  we  acknowl- 
edge his  superior  power  as  a  heaven-commissioned  evangelist. 
He  has  the  all-powerful  eloquence  of  a  man  full  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  and  of  faith,  and  fired  with  indomitable  zeal  for  the  glory 
of  Christ  and  the  salvation  of  souls.  He  may  be  devoid  of  rhet- 
oric (and  that,  we  suppose,  is  meant),  and  he  may  use  his  free- 
dom in  extemporizing  grammar  to  suit  himself,  but  withal 
Moody,  is  the  most  eloquent,  as  he  is  the  most  successful 
preacher  among  us.  The  Lord  be  praised  for  giving  such  gifts 
to  men,  and  for  the  thousands  of  souls  He  has  converted  by 
him  in  this  city,  or  set  into  the  liberty  of  grace  by  a  fuller 
knowledge  of  Christ  and  His  finished  work. 

What  masses  of  young  people  from  the  schools  crowded  the 
meetings  during  the  holidays  !  And  so  great  has  been  the  at- 
traction of  the  singing  of  the  one  and  the  eloquence  of  the 
other,  that  hundreds  of  young  persons,  especially  of  the  higher 
classes,  who  were  formerly  accustomed  to  go  to  the  theatre, 
opera,  and  pantomime,  gave  them  up  deliberately,  and  from 
choice  and  the  force  of  conviction  attended  the  gospel  and 
prayer-meetings.  Men  who  can  draw  away  our  educated  chil- 
dren by  the  hundred  in  this  city  that  boasts  of  its  education,  from 


THE    REVIVAL    IN    SCOTLAND.  433 

these  haunts  of  pleasure  and  amusement,  to  hear  of  Christ  in 
preaching  and  songs,  and  embrace  Him  as  their  Saviour,  and 
cHng  to  them  as  their  friends,  have  that  spiritual  education 
which  ennobles  the  character,  implants  delicate  feelings,  gener- 
ous sentiments,  tender  emotions,  and  gracious  affections,  which 
the  young  very  quickly  discover  and  reciprocate. 

But  we  have  no  doubt  that  a  very  great  part  of  Mr.  Moody's 
superiority  over  most  ministers  as  a  preacher  of  the  gospel, 
arises  from  his  superior  knowledge  and  grasp  of  the  Holy 
Scriptures. 

Messrs.  Moody  and  Sankey's  principle  for  gospel  work  is 
the  recognition  of  the  divine  unity  of  the  one  body  of  Christ  ; 
and  accordingly  wherever  they  go  they  say,  in  effect,  A  truce  to 
all  sectarianism  that  the  Lord  alone  may  be  exalted  :  let  all 
denominations  for  the  time  being  be  obliterated  and  forgotten, 
and  let  us  bring  our  united  Christian  effort  to  bear  upon  the 
one  great  work  of  saving  perishing  souls.  It  is  a  charming 
sight  to  look  back  over  the  past  eight  weeks  and  think  of  men 
who,  it  appeared,  were  for  all  time  to  come  in  religious  antag- 
onism because  of  their  controversial  differences  on  the  Union 
question,  sitting  side  by  side  on  the  same  platform  lovingly 
co-operating  with  those  American  brethren  and  with  one  another 
for  the  conversion  of  souls.  All  old  things  seemed  to  have 
passed  away,  and  all  things  had  become  new,  and  all  rejoiced 
together  in  the  blessing  which  has  been  so  richly  vouchsafed  by 
the  God  of  all  grace. 

There  has  been  such  a  commingling  of  ministers  and  Chris- 
tians of  all  the  churches — all  sectarian  thoughts  and  feelings 
being  buried — as  has  never  been  witnessed  in  this  city  since 
the  first  breaking  up  of  the  Church  of  Scotland,  more  than  140 
years  ago.  What  all  the  ministers  and  people  of  Scotland  were 
unable  to  achieve — a  union  of  Christians  on  a  doctrinal  basis — 
God  has  effected,  as  it  were  at  once,  on  the  basis  of  the  inner 
life  by  the  singing  of  a  few  simple  h3a-nns  and  the  simple  preach- 
ing of  the  gospel  : — for  as  the  unity  of  the  nation  was  secured 
by  the  one  purpose  to  make  David  king  over  all  Israel :  "All 
these  men  of  war  that  could  keep  rank  came  with  a  perfect 
19 


434  MOODY   AND   SANKEY    IN    GREAT    BRITAIN. 

heart  to  Kebron,  to  make  David  king  over  all  Israel  ;  and  all 
the  rest  also  of  Israel  were  of  one  heart  to  make  David  king, 
and  there  was  great  joy  in  Israel  ''(i  Chron.  xii.  38)  ;  so  the  one 
purpose  to  have  the  Lord  Jesus  exalted  and  made  supreme,  and 
His  glory  in  the  triumph  of  His  gospel  and  the  salvation  of 
sinners  made  manifest,  has  united  the  ministers  and  Christian 
people  of  every  name  in  the  metropolis  of  Scotland  :  "  and  there 
was  great  joy  in  that  city"  (Acts  viii.  8).  *' Be  it  known  unto 
you  all,  that  by  the  name  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  whom  ye  cru- 
cified, whom  God  raised  from  the  dead,  even  by  Him  "  hath 
been  "  shed  forth  this  which  ye  now  see  and  hear."  *'  This  was 
the  stone  which  was  set  at  nought  of  you  builders,  which  is 
become  the  Head  of  the  Corner.  Neither  is  there  salvation 
in  any  other,  for  there  is  none  other  name  under  heaven  given 
among  men  whereby  we  must  be  saved"  (Acts  iv.  10-12). 
*'This  is  the  Lord's  doing;  it  is  marvelous  in  our  eyes.     This 

IS    THE    DAY    WHICH    THE    LORD    HATH  MADE.       We  will  be  glad 

and  rejoice  in  it "  (Ps.  viii.  23,  24). 

Mr.  Moody  is  overpoweringly  in  earnest,  and  he  brings  in  the 
direct,  straightforward,  decided  methods  of  a  thorough -going, 
energetic  man  of  business  into  his  addresses,  in  conducting 
meetings,  and  his  dealing  with  souls,  and,  as  a  preacher  gene- 
rally stamps  his  own  image  upon  his  converts,  we  may  hope  to 
see  a  brood  of  decided  Christian  v/itnesses  and  testifiers  arising 
out  of  this  time  of  awakening,  that  will  let  it  be  known  that  the 
glory  of  the  Lord  Jesus  is  the  uppermost  purpose  in  their 
hearts. 

This  witness-bearing  has  already  begun  in  colleges  and 
schools,  in  families  and  work-rooms,  in  drawing-rooms  and 
kitchens.  There  are  discussions  going  on  everywhere  regarding 
both  the  men  and  the  movement.  In  ladies'  schools  there  are 
young  converts  testifying  for  Jesus,  and  boldly  confessing  Him 
as  their  Saviour  ;  evening  parties,  through  the  influence  of  the 
young  believers  in  the  household,  are  being  converted  into 
Christian  assemblies  to  talk  over  the  preaching  of  Mr.  Moody, 
and  to  sing  in  concerted  worship  the  hymns  and  solos  which 
have  been  introduced  by  the  inimitable  singing  of  Mr.  Sankey. 


THE   REVIVAL    IN    SCOTLAND.  435 

These  two  quiet  and  humble  Americans  have  all  but  turned 
society  in  Edinburgh  upside  down,  and  by  the  grace  of  God, 
have  given  its  citizens  the  merriest  Christmas  and  the  happiest 
New  Year  that  they  have  ever  enjoyed,  by  gathering  them 
around  the  Lord  Jesus.  It  seems  as  if  a  voice  from  heaven  had 
been  saying,  "  O  clap  your  hands,  all  ye  people  :  shout  unto 
God  with  the  voice  of  triumph.  God  is  gene  up  with  a  shout, 
the  Lord  with  the  sound  of  a  trumpet.  Sing  praises  to  God, 
sing  praises  ;  sing  praises  to  our  King,  sing  praises  3  sing  ye 
praises  with  understanding. " 

WHAT   GOOD    HAVE    MESSRS.    MOODY   AND    SANKEY   DONE    IN 
EDINBURGH  ? 

This  is  a  question  which,  in  its  inward  aspect,  can  be 
answered  only  by  Him  who  knows  the  hearts  of  men  ;  but  that 
which  is  visible  and  apparent  can  be  set  down  in  writing. 

For  one  thing,  Mr.  Moody  has  given  the  Bible  its  due 
place  of  prominence,  and  has  made  it  to  be  looked  upon  as  the 
most  interesting  book  in  the  world.  This  is  honoring  the  Holy 
Ghost  more  than  all  the  prayers  for  His  outpouring  that  have 
been  offered  ;  for  it  is  getting  into  the  mind  of  God  as  the 
Psalmist  got,  when  he  said,  "  Thou  hast  magnified  Thy  word 
above  all  Thy  name."  His  addresses  on  such  themes  as 
"  How  to  study  the  Holy  Scriptures,"  and  "  The  Scriptures 
cannot  be  broken  ;  "  his  own  Bible  lectures,  which  were  so  full 
of  Scripture,  and  helpful  to  hundreds  of  Christians ;  his  con- 
stant reference  to  the  Bible,  and  quotations  from  it  in  his 
preaching ;  his  moving  about  among  the  anxious  with  the  open 
Bible  in  his  hands,  that  he  might  get  them  to  rest  their  souls 
on  the  "  true  sayings  of  God;  "  and  his  earnest  exhortations  to 
young  Christians  to  read  the  Word,  and  to  older  and  well- 
taught  Christians  to  get  up  "  Bible  readings,"  and  invite  young 
Christians  to  come  to  them,  that  they  might  be  made  ac- 
quainted with  the  mind  of  Christ,  all  showed  how  much  in 
earnest  he  is  to  give  due  prominence  to  the  Holy  Scriptures. 

Mr.  Moody  has  also  given  us  a  thorough  specimen  of  good 


436  MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN    GREAT    BRITAIN. 

Gospel  preaching,  both  as  to  matter  and  manner  of  communica- 
tion. It  is  not  a  mixture  of  law  and  Gospel :  his  Gospel  is  "  the 
Gospel  of  the  grace  of  God,"  "  without  the  works  of  the  law." 
the  "  Gospel  of  God  "  coming  in  righteously  and  saving  the  lost, 
not  by  a  mere  judicial  manipulation  and  theoretically,  but  by 
grace,  power,  and  life  coming  in  when  men  were  dead,  so  that  we 
have  not  only  sins  blotted  out  by  the  blood  of  Christ,  but  deliv- 
erance from  sin  in  the  nature  by  death  and  resurrection,  and 
life  beyond  death,  so  that  a  risen  Christ  is  before  us,  and  we  in 
Him.  when  it  is  said,  "  There  is  therefore,  now  no  condemna- 
tion to  them  which  are  in  Christ  Jesus."  There  is  "justifica- 
tion of  life  "  in  his  preaching,  immediately  that  we  are  "justified 
by  His  blood:' 

He  has  also  distinguished  with  much  decision  and  precision 
between  the  Adam  nature  and  the  new  creation  in  Christ,  and 
made  it  as  clear  as  noon-day  that  salvation  is  not  the  mere  set- 
ting right  of  man's  existing  faculties,  but  the  impartation  of  new 
life  in  Christ,  a  new  nature,  a  new  creation,  so  that  there  exist 
two  utterly  opposed  natures  in  the  one  responsible  Christian 
man,  and  that  "  these  are  contrary  the  one  to  the  other  :  "  and 
the  knowledge  of  this  gives  young  Christians  immense  relief, 
and  a  solid  foundation  for  holiness  at  the  very  commencement 
of  their  Christian  course.  New  creation  in  Christ — not  the 
mending  of  the  old  creation — is  Mr.  Moody's  idea  of  Chris- 
tianity :  and  it  is  the  divine  reality  which  many  are  now  en- 
joying. 

This  also  leads  to  the  Pauline  theory  of  holiness,  as  preach- 
ed by  him.  He  has  imbibed  very  fully  the  theology  of  the 
Epistle  to  the  Romans  on  this  point,  and  insisted  with  much 
earnestness  that  Scripture  has  it  that  Christians  are  not  under 
the  law  in  any  shape  or  form,  and  that  this  is  essential  to  holi- 
ness : — "  For  sin  shall  not  have  dominion  over  you  ;  for  ye  are 
not  under  law,  but  under  grace  "  (Rom.  vi.  14)  ;  "  But  now  we 
are  delivered  from  the  law,  that  we  should  serve  in  newness  of 
spirit "  (Rom.  vii.).  His  doctrine  is  that  the  law  never  made  a 
bad  man  good  or  a  good  man  better,  and  that  we  are  under 
grace  for  sanctification  as  well  as  for  justification  ;  and  yet  the 


THE   REVIVAL   IN   SCOTLAND.  437 

righteousness  of  the  law  is  fulfilled  in  us  who  walk  not  after  the 
flesh  (that  is,  under  law)  "but  after  the  Spirit  "  (Rom.  viii.  4). 
His  clearness  in  distinguishing  between  law  and  grace  has  been 
the  lever  of  life  to  many  souls. 

Our  American  brethren  have  also  been  of  great  use  in  show- 
ing us  what  may  be  accomplished  in  the  conversion  of  souls,  if 
the  heart  is  only  fully  set  upon  it,  and  there  is  a  determination 
to  have  it.  They  came  to  us  with  that  distinct  aim  and  object 
in  view ;  and  the  Lord  gave  them  the  desires  of  their  hearts  ; 
and  as  the  result  hundreds  of  souls  have  professed  salvation. 
They  gave  themselves  to  "  this  one  thing,"  and  they  stuck  to  it, 
brushing  aside  all  other  things :  even  the  conventional  courte- 
sies of  life  were  made  short  work  of  by  Mr.  Moody  if  he  spied 
an  anxious  soul  likely  to  escape.  His  friends  might  introduce 
some  notable  stranger  at  the  close  of  a  meeting,  and  feel  rather 
annoyed  that,  instead  of  conversing  with  him  or  her,  he  darted 
off  in  a  moment  to  awakened  souls ;  but  he  made  that  his  work, 
and  everything  else  had  to  be  subordinate  to  it.  "  This  one 
thing  I  do,"  seems  to  be  his  life-motto ;  and  in  sticking  to  this 
all-absorbing  object,  he  has  read  us  a  noble  lesson  of  holy 
resoluteness  and  decision.  If  we  v.  ho  are  ministers  have  similar 
faith  and  expectancy,  and  work  like  our  American  friends  for 
the  conversion  of  souls,  the  conversion  of  souls  we  shall  have. 
Our  Lord  said  to  those  who  were  to  be  the  first  preachers  of 
His  Gospel,  "  I  have  chosen  you,  and  ordained  you,  that  ye 
should  go  and  bring  forth  fruit,  and  that  your  fruit  should 
remain  "  (John  xv.  16);  and  when  they  were  endued  with  the 
Holy  Ghost  and  with  power,  they  did  "bring  forth  fruit "  in  the 
conversion  of  souls  (Acts  ii.  41 ;  iv.  4)  ;  and  their  fruit  remained 
(Acts  ii.  42),  and  has  done  so,  in  the  millions  of  souls  saved 
in  all  ages  down  to  the  present  day. 

Our  friends  have  been  the  means  of  rescuing  hundreds  of 
souls  in  this  city  from  impendin^^  and  everlasting  damnation. 
Their  labors  have  been  especially  fruitful  in  the  conversion  of 
young  women  and  girls,  who  in  Lourse  of  time  will  be  in  the 
important  position  of  wives  and  mothers  ;  and  if  the  thousand 
of  them  that  appear  at  the  young  converts'  meeting,  to  receive 


43S  MOODY   AND   SANKEY   IN   GREAT   BRITAIN. 

Mr.  Moody's  farewell  address,  should  all  hold  out,  it  will  be  an 
unspeakable  blessing  that  has  been  conferred  by  God  on  this 
community  through  their  instrumentality. 

Persons  at  a  distance  have  wondered  at  us  having  so  many 
ladies  among  the  anxious,  and  the  question  has  repeatedly 
come  to  us,  "  Where  are  the  men  ?  Your  anxious  inquirers 
are  nearly  all  women,  as  we  read  of  them  in  your  reports."  If 
such  persons  had  been  present  on  Friday,  Jan.  16,  and  run 
their  eyes  over  the  young  converts  in  the  Free  Assembly  Hall, 
between  eight  and  nine  o'clock,  and  counted,  as  was  done,  the 
1,150  that  were  present,  and  failed  to  find  150  of  them  men, 
they  w^ould  no  longer  have  been  at  a  loss  to  see  why  the  greater 
proportion  of  the  cases  of  awakening  mentioned  are  women. 

But  we  believe  also  that  any  one  who  would  affirm,  from  the 
excessive  preponderance  of  women  over  men  on  Friday  at  the 
young  converts'  meeting,  that  the  movement  had  only  laid 
hold  of  women,  would  be  very  wide  of  the  truth  ;  for  although 
the  meetings  went  on  for  three  weeks  almost  without  men, 
towards  the  close  there  were  many  young  men  who  were 
brought  under  the  power  of  the  truth.  It  is  however,  well 
known  that  most  young  Scotsmen,  from  a  variety  of  influences 
and  motives,  even  though  converted,  would  rather  be  excluded 
from  the  meeting  than  face  the  ordeal  through  which  those  had 
to  pass  who  received  tickets ;  and  had  there  been  a  converts' 
meeting  for  men  to  come  to  without  any  examination  or  receiv- 
ing of  tickets,  hundreds  would  have  attended  it. 

In  a  time  of  awakening  it  is  also  well  known  that  women 
who  are  religiously  impressed  will  go  through  fire  and  water  to 
comply  with  the  wishes  of  those  who  have  been  made  useful  to 
their  souls.  They  v/ill  do  anything  they  are  asked  to  do  ; 
hence  the  mass-meeting  of  women  on  Friday,  the  i6th.  But 
not  so  W'ith  men — especially  Scotsmen — hence  the  absence, 
notwithstanding  that  many  are  known  to  have  been  converted. 

Before  that  meeting  was  held,  w^e  had  given  it  as  our  calcu- 
lation, based  on  the  facts  that  had  come  under  our  own  obser- 
vation daily  in  the  inquiry-meeting,  that  there  might  be  1,500 
souls  converted,  or  v;ho  had  professed  to  be  converted,  believ- 


THE    REVIVAL    IN    SCOTLAND.  439 

ing  themselves  to  be  so.  We  are  still  of  the  same  judgment, 
and  that  very  many  more  of  them  are  men  than  that  converts' 
farewell  meeting  revealed.  Twelve  hundred  women  and  three 
hundred  men  and  boys  seem  to  be  the  proportion  and  sum 
total  who  have  professed  conversion.  Hundreds  of  them  may 
go  on  flourishingly,  and  bring  forth  thirty,  sixty,  and  a  hundred 
fold.  Hundreds  may  go  back,  die  out,  or  be  choked  with  the 
world,  and  many  who  have  divine  life  in  their  souls  may  col- 
lapse, and  the  v/ork  may  have  to  be  done  over  again,  and  they 
revived  and  set  at  liberty,  because  of  the  lack  of  teaching. 
This  has  been  our  observation  of  the  results  of  past  revivals, 
having  been  in  nearly  all  that  have  taken  place  in  this  country 
for  the  last  six-and-twenty  years.  But  we  see  no  necessity  for 
this  sad  outcome  of  a  blessed  work  of  grace,  if  the  professed 
converts  were  fully  taught  in  all  the  precious  truth  of  God  with 
regard  to  their  place  in  a  risen  and  glorified  Christ,  as  Romans, 
Ephesians,  and  Colossians,  spiritually  and  competently  ex- 
pounded, would  teach  them.  Good  milk,  and  plenty  of  it, 
makes  an  infant  thrive  and  grow.  "  As  new-born  babes,  desire 
the  sincere  milk  of  the  word,  that  ye  may  grow  thereb}'.  Grow 
in  grace  and  in  the  knowledge  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus 
Christ."  The  only  way  not  to  fall  is  to  grow,  and  growth  and 
strength  are  by  the  trutli. 


440  MOODY   AND   SANKEY    IN    GREAT   BRITAIN. 


CHAPTER   XVIII. 

ON   TO   GLASGOW. 

Five  meetings  in  one  day,  at  Berwick-on-Tweed,  drew  thou- 
sands together,  and  the  arrows  from  God's  quiver  pierced 
hundreds  of  hearts. 

A  few  days  in  Dundee  awakened  such  interest  that  the 
evangelists  returned  five  months  later,  when  the  enthusiasm  far 
exceeded  that  of  the  previous  visit.  Every  evening  for  a  week 
from  10,000  to  16,000  people  assembled  in  the  open  air  to 
listen  to  the  Gospel.  Hundreds  yielded  to  Christ,  and  a  mighty 
impulse  was  given  to  religion. 

On  their  leaving  Dundee,  evangelistic  services  were  held 
in  various  churches,  with  many  tokens  of  blessing.  The  number 
of  inquirers  was  very  considerable.  Many  cases  were  charac- 
terized by  deep  conviction  of  sin,  and  there  were  se\'eral  remark- 
able conversions.  Of  the  many  hundreds,  doubtless  some  were 
only  slightly  impressed,  while  others  are  bearing  about  their 
trouble  to  this  day.  For,  whatever  may  be  the  explanation, 
there  are  always  some  Vvho  very  gradually  anive  at  settled  trust 
and  peace  in  Christ.  As  the  result  of  the  awakening,  there  have 
been  large  additions  to  the  membership  of  the  churches — in 
some  congregations  as  many  as  one  hundred  and  upward. 
Great  care  has  been  taken  in  watching  over  the  young  Chris- 
tians, and  wc  do-  not  kftow  of  any  who  have  gone  hack. 

On  the  occasion  of  the  second  visit  of  the  evangelists  to 
Dundee,  in  June,  when  great  open-air  meetings  were  held  in  the 
Barrack  Park,  Mr.  Moody  organized  and  set  going  special  means 
and  eflbrts  for  reaching  young  men.  With  the  aid  of  a  large  staff 
of  earnest  Christian  men,  who  volunteered  their  services  at  the 
call  of  Mr.  Moody,  the  Young  Men's  Association  carried  out 
the  scheme  with  energy  and  success.     In   the   course  of  two 


THE   REVIVAL    IN    SCOTLAND.  44I 

weeks,  upward  of  one  hundred  and  thirty  young  men  were  indi- 
vidually conversed  with,  almost  tl.e  whole  of  whom  ultimately 
professed  faith  in  Christ.  The  work  has  been  carried  on 
throughout  the  3^ear  by  the  Association,  as  well  as  by  the  direct 
instrumentality  of  the  churches,  with  much  prayer  and  pains, 
and  many  have  been  added  to  the  Lord.  In  the  Post  and  Tele- 
graph offices  alone  there  are  some  twenty  young  men  and  lads 
who  have  come  over  to  the  Lord's  side,  and  are  zealous  in  his 
service.  As  Andrew  found  his  brother  Simon,  and  brought  him 
to  Jesus,  so  in  many  a  pleasing  instance,  brothers  have  been 
bringing  brothers,  and  young  men  have  been  bringing  their  com- 
panions, to  the  Saviour.  The  seal  of  God's  blessing  has  been 
clearly  stamped  on  the  efforts  of  the  Christian  young  men.  And 
although,  to  the  eye  of  an  observer  looking  only  on  the  surface, 
nothing  may  be  apparent  save  the  ordinary  ripple  of  Christian 
work,  to  those  who  look  more  closely,  a  powerful  under-current 
of  spiritual  influence  is  plainly  seen  to  be  at  work  among  the 
youth  of  our  town.  In  many  quarters  the  tide  is  fairly  turned 
and  is  setting  in  steadily  in  the  right  direction ;  and  we 
expect  still  greater  and  better  things. 

In  regard  to  the  work  among  the  children,  we  have  never 
before  seen  so  much  precious  fruit  in  the  same  space  of  time. 
All  the  year  round  there  has  been  great  joy  in  many  a  family, 
and  in  many  a  Sabbath-school.  Nor  has  this  joy  proved  to  be 
evanescent  or  fruitless.  To  this  fact  parents  and  teachers  bear 
decided  testimony.  Running  parallel  with  the  work  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  there  has  been  a  remarkable  dispensation  of  Prov- 
idence in  the  removal  of  many  little  ones  to  the  spirit-world. 
Beautiful  and  instructive  in  many  instances  have  been  the  last 
solemn  scenes  of  life.  To  the  clear  eye  of  a  child's  faith  there 
is  almost  no  darkness  in  the  valley.  To  the  ear  of  the  little 
Christian,  quick  to  catch  the  voices  from  above,  the  solemn 
sound  of  Jordan's  waters  has  no  terrors.  With  marvellous 
wisdom  and  force,  these  dying  children  gave  forth  their  testi- 
mony to  Jesus  and  his  grace. 

While  the  immediate  results  of  the  work  are  exceedingly 
precious,  the  value  of  its  full  outcome  can  scarcely  be  over- 


442  MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN    GREAT    BRITAIN. 

estimated:  believers  are  refreshed  and  lifted  higher- -Christian 
workers  of  every  class  having  renewed  their  strength,  and  are 
filled  with  fresh  hope  and  zeal.  The  v.'hole  bod}'  of  the  living 
Church  has  made  an  advance ;  her  forces  are  increased,  her 
methods  are  improved.  So  mighty  an  impulse  cannot  fail  of 
great  and  lasting  results.  But  there  remains  much  land  to  be 
possessed,  and  from  the  recent  movement  there  comes  to  us  a 
loud  and  stirring  call  to  go  forward.  Thanking  God  for  the 
past,  and  taking  courage,  we  look  into  the  future  with  heart  of 
good  cheer ;  for  we  feel  assured,  '•  'Tis  better  on  before  !  " 

But  the  great  meeting  in  Scotland  was  in  Glasgow.  On 
Sunday  morning,  February  8,  1S74,  at  nine  o'clock,  Mr.  Moody 
addressed  3000  Sabbath  school  teachers  and  Christian  workers 
in  the  City  Hall.  At  half-past  five  in  the  evening,  an  hour 
before  the  time  for  services  to  begin,  the  hall  was  crowded  in 
every  corner.  The  crowds  became  so  great  that  it  was  neces- 
sary to  hold  separate  meetings  for  men  and  women,  and  even 
then  no  building  in  Glasgow  could  be  found  large  enough  to 
hold  the  congregations.  The  interest  among  the  impenitent 
v/as  beyond  precedent.  It  was  another  Pentecost.  Again  and 
again  1000  inquirers  remained  after  the  sermon  to  be  pointed 
to  Chrisf. 

During  the  six  days  beginning  with  Tuesday  of  last  week, 
the  suburb  of  Hillhead  was  nine  times  flooded  with  crowds  hur- 
rying to  the  Crystal  Palace.  This  unique  glass  house  is  the  lar- 
gest place  of  public  assembly  in  Scotland,  and  can  seat  about 
four  thousand,  while  a  thousand  or  two  more  may  be  crowded 
into  it.  Tuesday  evening  was  for  the  young  women.  Hun- 
dreds appealed  in  vain  for  tickets  after  seven  thousand  five 
hundred  had  been  distributed,  and  hundreds  who  had  them 
struggled  in  vain  for  admission.  The  building  was  crowded  up 
to  the  fainting  point,  and  the  meeting  was  partly  spoiled  by  its 
numerical  success.  On  Wednesday  the  young  men  who  were 
ticket-holders  darkened  the  Great  Western  road  more  than  an 
hour  before  the  time  of  meeting.  All  comers  were  welcome  on 
Thursday,  so  long  as  there  was  any  room.  In  spite  of  the 
rain  the  Palace  was  filled  by  seven  o'clock,  and  about  one-lialf 


THE    REVIVAL    IX    SCOTLAND.  443 

of  the  audience  seemed  to  be  young  men  of  the  middle  classes. 
On  Friday  the  noon  prayer-meeting  was  transferred  to  the  Pal- 
ace, which  was  comfortably  filled  with  the  better,  or  better-off, 
classes.  Friday  evening's  meeting  was  the  most  significant  of 
the  series.  Tickets  for  it  vvere  given  only  to  those  who,  on 
applying  for  them  in  person,  declared  that  they  believed  them- 
selves to  have  been  converted  since  January  ist,  and  gave  their 
names,  addresses,  and  church  connection,  which  information, 
we  are  told,  is  to  be  forwarded  to  their  several  pastors.  It 
was  publicly  stated  that  about  three  thousand  five  hundred  had 
received  tickets  on  these  conditions.  As  the  Americans  did 
not  arrive  till  six  weeks  after  New  Years,  and  as  the  tickets 
.  v^-ere  not  exclusively  for  the  frequenters  of  their  meetings,  it 
v.'as  hardly  fair  in  one  of  our  contemporaries  to  insinuate  that 
the  object  was  to  number  and  ticket  Moody's  converts.  The 
children  had  their  turn  on  Saturday  at  noon,  and  the  working- 
people  at  night.  On  Sunday  morning  the  young  women  were 
admitted  by  ticket,  and  at  six  o'clock  p.  m.  the  Palace  was 
filled  both  inside  and  outside,  as  an  Irishman  would  say.  While 
several  ministers,  along  with  Mr.  Sankey,  conducted  the  service 
inside,  Mr.  Moody  addressed  a  crowd  in  the  open  air  that  filled 
the  whole  space  between  the  Palace  and  the  gate  of  the  Botanic 
Gardens.  Many  hundreds  did  not  even  get  the  length  of  the 
garden  gate.  The  estimates  of  the  vast  throng — mere  guess- 
work, of  course — range  from  fifteen  to  thirty  thousand.  A  month 
ago,  in  the  same  place  and  under  the  same  auspices^,  another 
meeting  was  held  for  six  and  a  half  hours.  We  refer  to  the 
*"  Christian  Convention,"  which  Dr.  Cairns  declared  to  be  "un- 
paralleled in  the  history  of  the  Scotch,  perhaps  of  British 
Christianity."  It  was  reported  that  about  five  thousand  were 
present,  of  whom  some  two  thousand  were  ministers  and  office- 
bearers from  Scotland  and  the  North  of  England. 

Now  these  are  conspicuous  facts,  and  challenge  the  respect- 
ful attention  and  sympathy  of  all,  whatever  their  religious  views 
may  be,  were  it  on  no  higher  principle  than  that  of  the  ancient 
poet,  "  I  am  a  man,  and  deem  nothing  human  uninteresting  to 
me."     Some  have  already  photographed  the  humorous  side  of 


444  MOODY   AND   SANKEY   IN   GREAT   BRITAIN. 

these  religious  assemblies,  and  proved  what  we  daresay  nobody 
will  deny,  that  some  blemishes  cleave  to  them.  We  are  per- 
suaded, however,  that  many  of  our  readers  will  not  be  disinclined 
to  look  at  the  higher  aspects  of  ''  these  wondrous  gatherings  day 
by  day  ; ''  for  we  are  not  aware  that  so  many  large  and  represent- 
ative meetings  have  been  drawn  together  in  Glasgow  by  any 
cause  or  interest  whatever  during  the  past  century.  Here  is  a 
novel  addition  to  the  "  May  meetings  " — a  new  General  Assem- 
bly, with  representatives  of  almost  every  class  of  society  and 
every  Protestant  Church  in  the  land. 

The  religious  movement,  of  which  these  meetings  are  the 
most  outstanding  manifestation,  dates,  so  far  as  it  met  the  pub- 
lic eye  from  '•  the  week  of  prayer  "  in  the  beginning  of  January. 
The  ministers  and  office-bearers  of  almost  all  the  churches  then 
met,  and  formed  a  committee  to  arrange  for  united  prayer- 
meetings,  and  also  for  the  expected  visit  of  the  American  Evan- 
gelists. The  record  of  what  was  going  on  in  the  North  of  Eng- 
land, and  especially  in  Edinburgh,  had  previously  inflamed,  as 
well  as  informed,  many  of  the  more  receptive  and  sympathetic 
souls.  Tokens  of  growing  interest  had  also  been  appearing  in 
many  quarters ;  and  evangelistic  services,  such  as  those  con- 
ducted by  Mr.  Brownlow  North  and  others,  had  indicated  that 
the  spiritual  thermometer  was  steadily  rising.  During  the  first 
week  of  January  St.  George's  Church  was  crowded  at  noon, 
while  the  overflow  was  accommodated  in  Hope  Street  Free 
Gaelic  Church.  After  the  first  fortnight  Wellington  Street 
United  Presbyterian  Church  was  made  the  centre,  where^  on 
an  average,  about  a  thousand  met  daily  for  prayer.  In  the 
second  week  of  February,  Messrs.  Moody  and  Sankey  began 
their  work  among  us  ;  and  for  the  last  three  months  they  have 
conducted  meetings  every  day,  with  a  few  exceptions.  The 
mind  experiences  a  sense  of  fatigue  in  detailing  their  efforts. 
They  certainly  have  not  spared  themselves.  Here  is  something 
like  an  average  week-day's  work  :  twelve  to  one  o'clock,  prayer- 
meeting  ;  one  to  two  o'clock,  conversation  with  individuals  ; 
four  to  five  o'clock,  Bible  lecture,  attended  by  some  twelve  or 
fifteen  hundred  ;  seven  to  half-past   eight  o'clock,  evangelistic 


THE    REVIVAL    IN    SCOTLAND.  445 

meeting,  with  inquiry  meeting  at  close  ;  nine  to  ten  o'clock, 
young  men's  meeting.  The  tale  of  some  Sabbath-day's  work 
is  even  heavier:  nine  to  ten  o'clock,  City  Hall;  eleven  to  half- 
past  twelve  o'clock,  a  church  service  ;  five  to  seven  o'clock, 
women's  ;  seven  to  nine  o'clock,  men's  meetings  in  City  Hall. 
Very  few  men  possess,  or  at  least  exercise,  such  powers  of  ser- 
vice j  though  in  addition  to  the  aid  from  the  realm  beyond  on 
which  true  workers  rely,  we  doubt  not  that  congenial  and  suc- 
cessful Christian  work  may  sustain  a  man  beyond  any  other 
form  of  human  effort.  Admission  to  these  meetings  was  usually 
by  ticket,  a  necessary  precaution  against  perilous  overcrowding. 
The  animated  scenes  of  last  week  in  the  Botanic  Gardens  prove 
that  the  interest  has  not  waned,  even  after  three  months'  use 
and  wont  had  worn  off  the  edge  of  novelty. 

Accepting  this  as  a  genuine  Christian  work,  it  may  be  worth 
while  to  fix  attention  on  some  of  its  leading  characteristics  and 
results.  We  would  say  here,  in  passing,  that  we  cannot  well 
understand  why  some  educated  minds,  without  granting  a  hear- 
ing, condemn  religious  revivals  out-and-out  on  philosophical 
grounds.  Viewed  on  the  human  side,  the  philosophy  of 
revivals,  as  they  term  it,  is  just  a  department  of  the  philoso- 
phy of  history.  In  no  region  has  progress  been  uniformly 
steady  and  gradual ;  but  it  has  been  now  and  then  by  great 
strides,  by  fits  and  starts,  and  such  events  as  the  Germans  call 
epoch-making.  In  all  the  affairs  of  men  there  have  been  tides 
with  full  floods.  Every  channel  along  which  human  energies 
pour  themselves  has  had  its  "freshet."  We  are  familiar  with 
revivals  in  trade,  science,  literature,  arts,  and  politics.  Times 
of  refreshing  and  visitation  are  not  much  more  frequent  in  sacred 
than  in  secular  history ;  and  they  indicate  the  most  interesting 
and  fruitful  periods  in  both. 

To  say  that  the  work  betrays  some  imperfections,  and  that 
there  have  been  many  objectors,  is  only  to  say  what  has  been  just- 
ly said  of  every  great  enterprise,  civil  and  religious.  But  this 
revival  seems  to  be  distinguished  from  all  previous  revivals  by 
the  circumstance  that  it  has  been  indorsed  by  something  like 
the  catholic  consent  of  the  churches.     From  the  outset,  nearly 


44^  MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN    GREAT    BRITAIN. 

all  our  leading  ministers,  and  not  a  few  of  our  foremost  laymen, 
identified  themselves  with  it.  They  sat  and  sang  together  on 
the  pulpit  stairs  and  platform  at  the  daily  prayer-meeting.  A 
Highland  member  of  the  Free  Church  Presbytery  lately  pro- 
tested against  some  of  the  accompaniments  ;  and  in  a  court  that 
numbers  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  members,  there  was  not 
one  to  second  his  lament.  One  of  our  most  conservative 
churches — the  Reformed  Presbyterian — gave  its  unanimous  and 
cordial  approval  the  other  day  at  its  Synod. 

The  unfriendly  letter-writers  fall  into  two  classes.  Some 
sign  themselves  clergymen,  and  are  much  exercised  about  their 
clerical  status.  If  any  in  these  days  will  make  it  their  chief 
concern  to  stand  upon  their  official  dignity,  they  shall  find  by- 
and-by  that  they  have  not  much  ground  to  stand  upon.  No 
evangelists,  however,  have  come  among  us  who  have  more 
respected  the  position  and  influence  of  the  ministers.  Mr. 
Moody's  first  statement  at  his  first  meeting  in  the  City  Hall  was, 
that  he  met  wath  the  Sabbath-school  teachers  first,  because  he 
knew  that  no  class  would  welcome  him  more  heartily,  with  the 
single  exception  of  the  ministers,  and  that  it  would  be  pre- 
sumption in  him  to  lecture  them.  The  other  class  of  unfriendly 
critics  write  in  the  interest  of  intellectualism  and  culture  in  its 
*'  broadest "  sense.  We  suspect  that  the  "  sages,"  whose  pro- 
fession is,  as  one  of  themselves  has  said,  that  they  are  neither 
great  sinners  nor  great  saints,  are  the  enemies  of  revivals  only 
because  they  are  the  enemies  of  the  things  revived.  Would 
they  object,  for  instance,  to  a  revival  that  gave  body  and 
popular  attractions  to  the  worn-out  ideas  which  they  commend 
as  the  ne  plus  tilti-a  of  attainable  truth  ?  At  all  events,  it  will 
not  do  for  them  to  say  that  only  the  women  and  the  children 
have  been  attracted,  for  there  has  been  nightly  a  most  impos- 
ing muster  of  the  vigorous  manhood  of  our  city,  and  the  City 
Hall  has  been  often  found  too  small  to  accommodate  the  men 
who  flocked  to  some  of  the  special  services. 

Mr.  Moody  is  very  fortunate  in  having  such  a  colleague  as 
Mr.  Sankey.  He  has  enriched  evangelistic  work  by  something 
approaching  the  discovery  of  a  new  power.     He   spoils    the 


THE    REVIVAL    IN    SCOTLAND.  447 

Egyptians  of  their  finest  music,  and  consecrates  it  to  the  ser- 
vice of  the  tabernacle.  Music  in  his  hands  is,  more  than  it  has 
yet  been,  the  handmaid  of  the  Gospel,  and  the  voice  of  the 
heart.  We  have  seen  many  stirred  and  melted  by  his  singing 
before  a  word  had  been  spoken.  Indeed,  his  singing  is  just  a 
powerful,  distinct,  and  heart-toned  way  of  speaking,  that  seems 
often  to  reach  the  heart  by  a  short  cut,  when  mere  speaking 
might  lose  the  road.  Most  people  admit  that  the  work  has 
been  conducted  in  a  very  calm  and  sober-minded  fashion. 
Mr.  Moody  is  credited  with  a  large  share  of  shrewdness  and 
common  sense.  He  has  not  yielded  to  the  temptations  that 
powerfully  assail  his  class.  He  does  not  give  himself  out  to  be 
coddled  and  petted  by  well-meaning  but  injudicious  admirers. 
We  have  not  noticed  in  him  that  offensive  affectation  of  supe- 
rior piety  that  provoked  a  sarcastic  acquaintance  of  ours  to  say 
that  some  revivalists  seemed  to  begin  their  story  as  Virgil 
makes  ^neas  begin  his,  "  I  am  the  pious  ^neas."  He  keeps 
close  to  the  essentials,  and  is  free  from  such  crotchets  as  often 
narrow  the  sphere  and  destroy  the  influence  of  evangelists.  It 
is  not  irritation  but  balm,  that  he  tries  to  bring  to  our  religious 
divisions.  It  must  be  owned  that  a  premium  has  not  been  set 
on  the  hysterical,  the  convulsive,  and  the  sensational  forms  of 
religious  excitement.  The  proverbial  weakness  for  numbers 
has  been  more  apparent  in  some  of  his  sympathizers  than  in 
himself.  Nor  does  he  make  himself  responsible  for  the  reality 
of  every  apparent  conversion.  He  has  set  his  face  sternly 
against  the  religious  dissipation  in  which  some  of  his  most  inde- 
fatigable hearers  rejoice.  Novelty-hunters  and  marvel-mongers 
have  not  been  gratified.  Sight-seers  have  been  usually  ex- 
cluded from  the  meetings  for  inquirers,  and  only  "workers" 
have  been  admitted.  That  there  has  been  nothing  necessarily 
repellant  to  thoughtful  and  educated  people  is  proved  by  the 
number  of  middle-class  young  men  in  sympathy,  and  by  the  fair 
proportion  of  them  at  the  "  Converts'  Meeting,"  and  also  by  the 
crowds  of  genteel  people  at  the  quiet  afternoon  Bible  lectures. 
Though  he  has  introduced  some  novel  methods,  he  has  stuck 
to  the  simple  old   truths,  and   his    convictions   are  in    entire 


448  MOODY   AND   SANKEY    IN   GREAT   BRITAIN. 

accord  with  Scottish  orthodoxy.  His  straightforward,  business- 
like, slap-dash  style  gives  a  fascinating  air  of  reality  to  all  he 
says,  white  his  humor,  capital  hits,  vivid  and  homely  illustra- 
tions, and  now  and  again  his  deep  feeling,  seldom  fail  to  rivet 
the  attention  of  his  hearers.  He  has  not  a  roundabout  and  far- 
off  way  of  handling  divine  things,  and  hence  many  accuse  him 
of  abruptness,  brusqueness,  and  undue  familiarity.  The 
Christian  life  he  commends  is  manly  and  genial,  intense,  and 
yet  not  strained  or  twisted.  These  features  go  far  to  explain 
what  would  be  called  in  America  his  personal  magnetism. 

Many  ask,  "  But  will  it  last  ?  What  is  to  come  out  of  all 
this.'* "  In  Edinburgh,  they  say  that  since  the  Americans  left,  the 
impression  has  been  steadily  increasing,  and  that  it  has  entered 
influential  spheres  almost  untouched  before.  The  summer 
scatterings  will  severely  test  the  reality  of  the  movement,  but 
perhaps  they  may  also  scatter  a  share  of  the  stimulus  along 
both  sides  of  the  Clyde.  The  avowed  end  from  the  first  has 
been  that  the  ordinary  congregational  channels  might  be  flushed 
and  flooded  with  fresh  energy.  Such  extraordinary  efforts  are 
most  successful,  though  their  success  is  less  apparent  when  they 
add  new  power  to  ordinary  agencies.  If  this  be  the  result,  the 
friends  of  the  movement  will  have  no  cause  for  disappointment, 
while  its  enemies  will  point  to  the  absence  of  demonstrative  ac- 
companiments as  a  proof  that  it  has  entirely  collapsed. 

We  may  expect  that  something  will  be  gained  from  the 
experience  of  the  past  months.  New  methods  of  conduct- 
ing meetings  are  already  finding  favor.  Some  may  be  in  danger 
of  surrendering  hastily  their  individuality,  and  adopting  modes 
of  speech  and  action  foreign  to  them.  We  may  easily  ascribe 
too  much  to  the  new  methods  of  the  American  evangelists. 
Their  success  is  due  largely  to  the  fact  that  they  approach  the 
Scottish  churches  on  the  side  on  which  they  are  weakest.  It 
would  seem  that  Scottish  styles  are  about  as  popular  in  America, 
as  American  styles  have  proved  in  Scotland,  and  for  the  very 
same  reason.  At  the  Evangelical  Alliance  in  New  York,  the 
speakers  from  our  country  v/ere  most  appreciated,  because  they 
were  strong:  where  Americans  felt  themselves  to  be  weak.     The 


THE    REVIVAL    IN    SCOTLAND.  449 

career  of  Dr.  Hall  in  New  York  is  also  a  notable  case  in  point. 
By  all  means  let  us  have  more  elasticity,  and  a  greater  readiness 
to  adopt  and  adapt  whatever  is  serviceable.  But^  after  all,  new 
methods  will  not  help  the  churches  a  great  deal.  The  surprise 
and  force  of  contrast  soon  wear  off;  and  if  men  go  too  far  for  a 
little  in  any  direction,  they  take  their  revenge  in  abandoning 
what  formerly  they  overpraised.  Age  and  repetition  by-and-by 
make  the  most  skillful  methods  dull  and  conventional.  The 
grand  need  is  far  deeper — an  inward  vitality  that  makes  men 
and  churches  fresh,  vigorous,  and  fruitful.  If,  as  we  are  told, 
multitudes  in  all  the  churches  have  been  recently  quickened, 
new  bottles  should  be  made,  as  well  as  borrowed,  for  the  new 
wine. 

Some  confidently  expect  a  more  general  co-operation  of 
Christians  than  has  hitherto  prevailed.  Dr.  James  Hamilton's 
quaint  illustration  has  been  so  far  verified.  When  the  tide  is 
out,  each  shrimp  has  a  little  pool  of  salt  water,  which  is  to  him 
all  the  ocean  for  the  time  being.  But  when  the  rising  ocean 
begins  to  lip  over  the  margin  of  his  lurking-place,  one  pool  joins 
another^  their  various  tenants  meet  and  mingle,  and  soon  they 
have  ocean's  boundless  fields  to  roam  in.  It  will  be  a  pity  if  an 
ebbing  tide  carries  each  back  to  his  little  narrow  pool. 

The  relation  of  this  work  to  the  masses  has  been  much 
discussed.  Those  who  blame  Mr.  Moody  for  not  working 
among  them  should  remember  that  the  tickets  for  all  the  meet- 
ings were  distributed  by  the  ministers  of  each  district,  and  that 
in  some  cases  the  non-church-going  had  the  preference.  Recent 
speeches  in  presbyteries  and  synods  show  that  many  are  anx- 
ious to  give  a  home-mission  direction  to  the  movement.  Quick- 
ened life  in  presence  of  neglected  multitudes  must  approve  its 
sincerity  by  zealous  mission  work.  We  hear  that  the  committee 
have  already  purchased  a  monster  tent,  capable  of  holding  two 
thousand,  and  that  it  will  soon  be  one  of  their  chief  rallying- 
points.  The  young  ladies  of  the  choir,  who  give  invaluable  aid, 
are  likely,  it  is  said,  to  continue  at  their  post.  This  would  be 
a  very  graceful  and  telling  way  of  bringing  together  the  East 
and   West    Ends.     Hundreds   of  young   ladies  with  splendid 


450  MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN    GREAT    BRITAIN. 

voices  And  an  expensive  musical  education  might  thus  find  a 
grateful  relief  from  eimici^  and  a  healthful  substitute  for  other 
excitements.  The  work  among  the  masses  gives  them  a  fine 
opportunity  of  gaining  a  recompense  for  all  the  trouble  and 
cost  by  which  they  have  become  gifted  musicians.  It  will  be 
a  new  jDower  to  them,  and  to  many  preachers  who  can  appreciate 
such  co-operation." 

Says  one  :  It  seems  to  be  generally  admitted  that  the  young 
men  have  had  the  largest  share  of  the  blessing.  Their  case 
from  the  very  first  was  especially  laid  upon  the  hearts  and  con- 
sciences of  the  praying  people.  Our  spiritual  dead  among  the 
young  men  were  carried  forth  like  the  dead  son  of  the  v/idow 
of  Nain.  A  widowed  Church  carried  them  forth  with  affection- 
ate sorrow  ;  but  not  in  despair,  as  Jesus  of  Nazareth  was  pass- 
ing by,  and  His  fame  was  in  the  land.  At  His  bidding  she 
stood  still,  expecting  His  aid  ;  and  many  of  our  spiritual  dead 
heard  His  life-giving  word,  and  were  restored  to  the  crown  and 
joy  of  the  Church.  I  do  not  think  that  I  have  ever  seen  better 
religious  meetings  than  some  of  those  young  men's  meetings." 

Among  the  laborers  at  Glasgow  was  Brownlow  North,  Esq., 
one  of  the  wonderful  men  whom  God  has  lately  raised  up  to 
jjropagate  the  Gospel  outside  the  ordinary  channels.  We  give 
the  following  obituary  notice  : 

The  death  of  this  distinguished  lay  preacher  and  evangelist 
took  place  at  Tillichewan,  Dumbartonshire,  on  the  9th  of  No- 
vember. •'  All  that  was  interesting  in  his  life  to  the  Christian 
community,"  sa3^3  the  Daily  News,  "  began  exactly  twenty-one 
years  ago  in  November,  1854,  when  he  was  suddenly  and  over- 
whelmingly arrested  b)  the  fear  of  death  when  playing  at  cards* 
He  was  then  forty-four  years  of  age,  and  his  previous  life  had 
been  such  as  to  make  him  tremble  at  the  prospect  of  death  and 
judgment.  His  talents  were  of  a  very  high  order,  with  the  athletic 
frame  and  vast  energy  he  was  fitted  to  take  a  foremost  position 
in  any  line  of  life  he  might  have  chosen.  But,  not  requiring  to 
engage  in  professional  pursuits,  he  gave  himself  to  vdiat  seemed 
to  him  a  life  of  pleasure,  and,  in  the  highest  sense  of  the  word, 
became  a  man  of  the  world.     But  the  cold  hand  of  death,  as 


THE    REVIVAL    IN    SCOTLAND.  451 

he  took  it  to  be,  came  upon  him  with  a  terrible  arrest,  he  earn- 
estly cried  for  mercy  that  night,  next  day  he  announced  to  his 
family  and  friends  that  for  the  future  he  was  a  changed  man, 
and  he  immediately  owned  God  in  his  house  by  daily  prayer 
and  reading  of  the  Scriptures.  After  many  months  he  found 
peace  of  conscience  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  set  himself 
to  distribute  tracts,  and  visit  the  sick  and  dying  in  his  neigh- 
borhood. Gradually  this  led  to  larger  meetings,  and  then  to 
preaching  in  country  churches,  for  which  his  Oxford  studies 
fitted  him  ;  for  he  had  been  educated  in  the  Church  of  England 
but  his  conscience  kept  him  from  taking  orders.  After  two  or 
three  years  he  preached  in  Edinburgh  to  great  crowds,  and  with 
a  very  singular  power.  He  had  been  carefully  taught  the  grand 
Bible  truths  regarding  sin,  redemption,  and  regeneration  ;  he 
always  stated  them  with  great  clearness  and  force.  But  at  that 
time  his  peculiar  power  above  other  preachers  lay  in  his  marvel- 
lous unfolding  of  those  two  truths — the  existence  and  presence  of 
the  Living  God,  and  the  great  eternity  that  is  betore  every  man. 
These  truths  he  did  not  hold,  but  was  held  by  them,  and  was 
borne  onward  with  an  irrepressible  enthusiasm  to  communicate 
tliem  to  every  living  man  whom  his   words  could  reach. 

After  three  months  of  toil  and  conquest  almost  unparalleled 
in  the  history  of  evangelization,  the  brethren  turned  their  faces 
to  the  North,  having  closed  their  campaign  in  the  following  way  : 

The  last  week  has  been  a  most  impressive  one.  The 
interest  may  be  said  to  have  culminated  in  the  assemblages  in 
the  Kibble  palace.  On  Tuesday  evening  a  fresh  meeting  of 
women  took  place  there ;  all  classes  and  ages  were  largely 
represented,  and  the  bearing  of  the  majority  was  most  devout. 
Although  upward  of  five  thousand  were  accommodated  within  the 
building,  the  issue  of  tickets  had  been  so  liberal  that  nearly  two 
thousand  more  could  not  gain  admittance,  and  were  addressed 
on  the  green  outside  by  various  clergymen.  Even  among  those 
who  could  hear  nothing  the  greatest  good  humor  prevailed. 

On  Wednesday  night  upward  of  seven  thousand  men  man- 
aged to  find  sitting  and  standing  room  within  the  Palace, 
packi  ig  exceedingly  close.     The  vast   assemblage  was   most 


452  MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN    GREAT    BRITAIN. 

decorous,  and  obeyed  orders  implicitly.  The  full,  strong 
singing  of  the  hymns  was  a  sound  to  be  remembered.  Num- 
bers of  inquirers  gathered  afterward  in  the  opposite  church 
and  many  could  state  that  there  \yas  a  good  result  of  that 
night's  work. 

Admission  to  these  two  meetings  had  been  exclusively  by 
ticket.  On  Thursday  night  the  Palace  was  open  to  all ;  but 
soon  the  doors  had  to  be  shut,  leaving  large  numbers  outside. 
The  meetings  throughout  were  conducted  in  the  usual  vigor- 
ous style,  Mr.  Moody  being  present,  and  delivering  pointed 
addresses,  clergymen  and  laymen  relating  their  own  experi- 
ences, and  bringing  forward  instances  and  reports  of  the  work 
elsewhere. 

On  Friday  evening  came  the  meeting  for  those  who  pro- 
fessed to  have  been  converted  during  the  last  few  months. 
The  tickets  for  this  had  only  been  given  to  those  who  placed 
their  names  and  addresses,  and  the  names  of  their  ministers, 
on  a  register,  opened  for  the  purpose ;  and  of  which,  they  were 
informed,  extracts  would  be  forwarded  to  the  clergymen  to 
whose  churches  they  belonged,  thus  to  prevent  thoughtless 
application  for  converts'  tickets,  an  ultimate  check  being  es- 
tablished. The  Palace  was  comfortably  filled,  and  the  utmost 
order  prevailed.  In  looking  over  the  assemblage,  it  was 
apparent  that  the  great  proportion  consisted  of  young  people, 
probably  under  twenty-five  years  of  age.  All  were  well- 
dressed,  clear-eyed  people,  in  the  ring  of  whose  voices,  when 
singing  the  opening  hymn  of  praise,  more  than  the  common 
sound  was  heard.  It  was  a  glorious  sight.  Some,  no  doubt, 
may  have  joined  that  throng  without  due  warrant  ;  but  with 
such  exceptions,  each  individual  had  found  his  title  clearly 
written  in  the  Word  of  his  Lord  and  Master.  One  instance 
came  within  our  knowledge  of  two  ladies  who,  receiving  tickets 
under  a  misapprehension,  personally  came  to  deliver  them  up. 
This  was  the  more  honorable,  as  many  would  have  entered  by 
any  means  in  tlieir  power,  had  the  register  not  stood  in  the 
way.  An  instance,  indeed,  occurred  of  one  old  lady,  who, 
having  made  up  her  mind  to  enter,  would  take  no  denial,  and 


THE    REVIVAL    IN    SCOTLAND.  453 

indignantly  gave  the  peculiar  reason  for  insistence,  that  she 
was  well  known  to  the  best  people  of  the  West  End,  and  to  the 
magistrates  of  the  city  and  county. 

On  Saturday  came  the  meeting  for  children,  and  in  the 
evening  another  for  grown  people  ;  but  the  greatest  gathering 
of  the  week  took  place  on  the  Sabbath,  when,  after  a  meeting 
in  the  morning  for  women  vAio  had  not  obtained  admittance  on 
the  previous  Tuesday,  the  gates  were  thrown  open  in  the  after- 
noon to  all  comers.  Such  a  crowd  as  had  never  been  seen  in 
these  parts  before.  Many  a  time  during  the  week  the  Great 
Western  road  had  been  darkened  for  an  hour  and  a  half  with 
the  living  stream,  but  that  night  for  three  hours  the  stream  was 
incessant.  Vehicles  were  not  easily  to  be  had  on  Sunday,  so 
nearly  all  came  on  foot — all  classes,  "  gentle  and  simple," 
young  and  old,  blind  and  lame.  The  Palace  was  immediately 
filled,  but  the  afternoon  sun  was  so  hot  there  that  soon  the 
whole  had  to  turn  out  on  the  green  ;  there  a  crowd,  variously 
estimated  at  from  twenty  to  thirty  thousand,  was  soon  gathered. 
Some  apprehension  was  entertained  that  mishaps  might  ensue 
inside  or  outside  the  building;  but  by  the  exercise  of  consider- 
able firmness,  and  compliance  with  orders  on  the  part  of  the 
people,  the  danger  was  happily  averted.  Mr.  Moody  ad- 
dressed the  crowd,  standing  on  the  box  of  a  private  carriage, 
and  by  those  within  comfortable  ear-shot  he  was  considered  to 
have  surpassed  himself  in  earnestness  and  force.  The  sing- 
ing of  the  sweet  hymns  by  such  a  strength  of  voices,  sounded 
upon  that  quiet  sunny  Sabbath  evening  from  amidst  the  fresh 
foliage  of  the  gardens,  was  deeply  impressive.  Such  a  sight, 
too,  had  probably  never  before  been  seen  within  the  limits  of 
the  land.  While  the  main  body  dispersed,  filling  all  the  ap- 
proaches and  the  public  roads,  about  five  thousand  christians, 
and  those  professedly  anxious  about  their  own  state,  gathered 
inside  the  Palace,  and  for  the  last  time  heard  the  voice  of  the 
man  for  whom  such  an  affection  has  sprung  up  in  the  hearts 
of  many.  The  scene  was  impressive  when  an  English  speaker, 
with  rapid  and  energetic  utterance,  reminded  the  assemblage, 
many  of  whom  had  the  greatest  cause  to  thank  God  for  all  he 


454  MOODY   AND   SANKEY    IN    GREAT    BRITAIN. 

had  recently  done  for  and  by  them,  that  that  man  (Mr.  Moody) 
ought  to  be  constantly  remembered  in  the  prayers  of  all,  to 
whom  he  had  proved  an  instrument  of  grace.  Many  were 
much  moved.  Mr.  Moody  then  took  a  farewell  of  the  people, 
most  of  whom  he  could  never  hope  to  see  again  in  the  body,  and, 
as  a  final  message,  declared  that  many  christian  friends  in  that 
place  and  elsewhere  had  agreed  to  unite  in  prayer  that  night 
for  those  then  gathered  together  v/ho  might  be  anxious  about 
their  ov/n  state,  conscious  they  were  not  saved.  The  twilight 
v/as  rapidly  deepening  when  he  asked  those  in  such  a  case  to 
rise  to  their  feet  in  sign  of  their  desire.  The  solemnity  of 
feeling  was  indeed  deep,  when  from  four  to  five  hundred 
persons  quietly  rose  all  over  the  house,  and  as  quietly  resumed 
their  places,  actuated  evidently  by  something  outside  their 
ordinary  lives. 

Was  not  that  something  like  the  Spirit  of  God  ?  We  shall, 
perhaps,  never  know  here;  but  when  from  among  the  ranks  of 
those  who  have  felt  his  power  we  find  men  and  women  quietly 
affirming  to  friends  and  strangers  the  inner  change  which  has 
been  wrought  in  them,  and  then  going  out  to  work  for  him  ; 
when  we  find  this  wide-spread,  and  representatives  of  all  classes 
among  the  believers,  have  we  any  right  further  to  question  that 
God  has  been  working,  and  will  continue  to  work,  in  men's 
hearts  powerfully?  Be  the  instruments  v.-ho  they  may,  are  they 
not  of  God's  choosing  ?  Some  of  bis  own  servants  may  have 
been  kept  from  joining  in  the  work  of  promoting  the  awakening ; 
but  now  that  the  first  instruments  of  this  general  awakening 
have  left  us,  it  must  be,  it  is,  the  sacred  duty  of  all  the  stated 
ministers  in  the  field  to  take  up  the  work  where  it  now  stands, 
and  to  carry  it  on,  thankful  and  joyful  in  the  fresh  vigor  infused 
into  the  spiritual  life  of  many,  and  jealous  only  for  the  extension 
of  the  Master's  kingdom." 

TriE  Summer  Blessing. 

Another  brief  visit  to  Edinburgh  and  Dundee  was  followed 
by  a  tour  of  great  interest  in  the  Scottish  Highland  country. 
Many  of  their  meetings  were  held  in  the  open  air,  and  attended 


THE    REVIVAL    IN    SCOTLAND.  455 

by  vast  multitudes.  As  a  specimen  of  what  transpired  at  these 
places  we  take  the  account  of  a  visit  to  Elgin,  Aberdeen,  and 
Craig  Castle. 

It  was  a  strange  contrast  last  Thursday  ;  at  five  o'clock,  in 
the  busy  Show  at  Inverness,  at  seven  in  the  streets  of  Elgin 
quiet  at  all  times,  but  that  night  altogether  passengerless  and 
deserted.  Surely  something  unusual  v/as  going  on — the  streets 
abandoned,  the  house-doors  fast,  the  shops  closed.  Through 
half  a  mile  of  the  empty  streets  ours  were  the  only  footsteps  that 
echoed  on  the  pavement,  and  everything  was  silent  and  desolate 
as  a  plague-stricken  city  !  At  last,  just  on  the  verge  of  the 
town,  the  stillness  was  broken  by  the  distant  sound  of  a  voice, 
and  the  turn  of  a  lane  revealed  a  sight  which  time  can  never 
efface  from  the  memory.  There  stood  the  inhabitants,  motion- 
less, breathless,  plague-stricken  indeed — -plague-stricken  with  the 
plague  of  sin.  The  sermon  was  evidently  half  over,  and  the 
preacher,  with  folded  arms,  leaned  over  the  wooden  rail  of  the 
rude  platform.  Oh,  the  sin  upon  these  faces  round  him  !  How 
God  was  searching  the  heart  that  night !  I  cannot  tell  you  who 
were  there,  or  how  many,  or  what  a  good  choir  there  was,  or 
what  Mr.  Sankey  sang,  or  which  dignitary  prayed.  I  cannot 
tell  you  how  beautifully  the  sun  was  setting,  or  how  fresh  the 
background  of  woods  looked,  or  how  azure  the  sky  was.  But 
these  old  men  penitent,  these  drunkards  petrified,  these  strong 
men's  tears,  these  drooping  heads  of  women,  these  groups  of 
gutter  children,  with  their  wondering  eyes !  Oh,  that  multitude 
of  thirsty  ones — what  a  sight  it  was  !  Vv^hat  could  the  preacher 
do  but  preach  his  best  ?  And  long  after  the  time  for  stopping 
was  it  a  marvel  to  hear  the  persuasive  voice  still  pleading  with 
these  Christless  thousands  ? 

One  often  hears  doubts  as  to  the  possibihty  of  producing  an 
impression  in  the  open  air,  but  there  is  no  mistake  this  time. 
No,  there  is  no  mistaking  these  long  concentric  grcs  of  wistful 
faces  curving  around  the  speaker,  and  these  reluctant  tears, 
which  conscious  guilt  has  wrung  from  eyes  unused  to  weep. 
Oh,  the  power  of  the  living  Spirit  of  God  !  Oh,  the  fascination 
of  the  Gospel  of  Christ !     Oh,  the  gladness  of  the  old,  old  story 


45'^  MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN    GREAT    BRITAIN. 

of  these  men  and  women  hurrying  graveward  !  The  hundred- 
and  one  nights  in  Glasgow  excepted,  never  have  we  seen  the 
Holy  Spirit's  nearness  more  keenly  realized.  These  thousands 
just  hung  spell-bound  on  the  speaker's  lips.  It  seenied  as  if  he 
daren't  stop,  so  many  hungry  ones  were  there  to  feed.  At 
last  he  seemed  about  to  close,  and  the  audience  strained  to 
catch  the  last  solemn  words;  when  the  preacher,  casting  his 
eye  on  a  little  boy,  seemed  moved  with  an  overpowering  desire 
to  tell  the  little  ones  of  a  children's  Christ.  Then  followed  for 
fifteen  minutes  more  the  most  beautiful  and  pathetic  children's 
sermon  we  have  ever  heard  ;  and  then,  turning  to  the  weeping 
mothers  and  fathers,  concluded  with  a  last  tender  appeal,  which 
must  have  sunk  far  into  many  a  parent's  heart. 

Long  before  the  close  of  the  address  it  was  evident  to  all 
that  the  Lord  of  the  harvest  was  going  to  give  us  a  glorious 
reaping-time  that  night.  We  had  not,  indeed,  been  ten  minutes 
on  the  ground,  when  a  stranger  whispered,  in  the  very  middle 
of  the  address,  "  Will  you  come  and  speak  to  a  woman  about 
her  soul.'*"  at  the  same  time  pointing  out  a  drooping  figure 
standing  near,  with  face  buried  in  her  shawl.  We  were  not  sur- 
prised, therefore,  at  the  great  crowds  which  entered  the  inquiry- 
meetings — in  one  church  for  women,  another  in  a  large  hall  for 
men,  while  the  Christians  went  apart  by  themselves  to  another 
church  to  pray.  The  arrangements  connected  with  these  after- 
meetings  were  all  beautifully  managed,  and  shortly  after  nine 
o'clock  the  whole  three  were  well  under  way.  The  women's 
inquiry-meeting  was  supplied  with  relays  of  workers  from  the 
prayer-meeting.  The  work  was  on  a  very  large  scale,  and  the 
workers'  report  was,  that  the  cases  were  of  a  very  hopeful  char- 
acter. But  the  work  among  the  men — and  this  is  a  splendid 
testimony  to  the  depth  and  reality  of  the  impressions — was 
even  on  a  larger  scale  still ;  and  the  sight  in  the  Evangelistic 
Hall,  where  the  men's  inquiry-meeting  was  held,  is  not  soon  to 
be  forgotten.  The  whole  hall  was  filled  with  men,  broken  up 
into  little  groups  of  twos  and  threes,  talking  in  hushed  yet 
earnest  voices  on  the  great  subject  of  the  one  thing  needful; 
v/hile  behind,  in  the  committee-room,  half  a  hundred  young  men 


THE    REVIVAL    IN    SCOTLAND. 


457 


were  gathered  in  prayer  for  their  groping  brothers.  Many  of 
these  had  themselves  but  newly  decided  for  Christ,  and  were 
the  fruit  of  the  week's  meetings  for  men,  which  have  been 
blessed  by  God  far  above  all  expectation. 

It  is  useless  to  attempt  to  give  even  an  approximate  idea  of 
(he  extent  of  the  blessing  which  fell  upon  Elgin  on  Thursday 
It  gbt.  The  whole  of  Morayshire  has  shared  it,  and  a  powerful 
hold  has  been  gained  in  nearly  every  farm  house  and  village 
throughout  the  country  side. 

At  the  pressing  request  of  a  large  number  of  those  who  had 
taken  part  in  the  evangelistic  w^ork  set  going  in  Aberdeen 
some  months  ago,  Mr.  Moody  paid  a  farewell  visit  to  Aberdeen 
in  August,  and  addressed  several  meetings,  at  the  same  time 
taking  occasion  to  urge  on  to  greater  zeal  those  who  were  en- 
gaged in  the  good  work.  Mr.  Sankey  has  been  obliged  to  go 
south  to  a  more  genial  temperature  to  recruit  his  health,  but 
Mr.  Moody  has  wTOught  on  since  he  left  Aberdeen,  in  different 
districts  in  the  north,  almost  without  ceasing;  the  same  remark- 
able results  always  attending  his  labors. 

At  seven  o'clock,  Mr.  Moody  met  with  a  large  body  of  young 
converts  in  the  Free  South  Church,  and  addressed  to  them  a 
few  parting  words.  He  spoke  on  his  favorite  topic  of  "  con- 
fessing Christ,"  pleading  hard  with  those  who  had  lately  come  to 
Christ  to  come  boldly  forward  and  confess  Him. 

The  Music  Hall  was  crowded  to  excess  long  before  eight 
o'clock,  the  hour  at  which  Mr.  Moody  was  announced  to  give 
an  address,  the  passages,  orchestra,  and  galleries  being  quite 
packed.  "  Except  a  man  be  born  again  he  cannot  enter  the 
kingdom  of  heaven,"  was  the  text  on  which  Mr.  Moody  based 
his  discourse.  Christ  did  not  say  these  words  to  a  drunkard, 
to  a  thief,  to  a  harlot,  but  to  a  man  who  in  our  days  would  be 
made  a  D.D.  or  an  LL.D. 

After  referi'ing  to  the  often-doubted  possibility  of  sudden 
conversions  by  those  who  could  not  understand  it,  even  although 
there  were  living  evidences  of  it  before  them,  he  bade  the  meet- 
ing farewell,  with  the  hope  that  they  would  all  meet  on  the 
shores  of  eternity. 


458  MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN    GREAT    BRITAIN. 

Mr.  Moody  stayed  in  the  hall  conv^ersing  with  anxious 
inquirers  until  about  ten  o'clock,  when  he  drove  to  a  men's 
meeting  in  Trinity  Free  Church,  which  had  gathered  at  nine 
o'clock  in  the  expectation  that  Mr.  Moody  would  give  them  a 
farewell  address.  In  the  course  of  the  few  sentences  he  spoke 
to  them,  Mr.  Moody  said  they  could  have  no  idea  of  the  influ- 
ence the  Aberdeen  men's  meetings  had  had  in  other  places  he 
had  visited.  In  all  of  the  towns  the  example  of  Aberdeen  had 
been  followed,  and  large  bands  of  young  men  were  enlisted  in 
evangelistic  work. 

A  number  of  the  young  men  then  retired  with  Mr.  Moody 
into  an  ante-room,  to  hold  private  conversation  with  him,  and 
he  continued  to  converse  with  them  until  it  was  time  to  go  and 
prepare  for  his  journey  to  Wick  by  steamer. 

On  Sunday  afternoon,  an  open  air  evangelistic  service  was 
held  on  Craig  Castle  lawn,  conducted  by  Mr.  Moody.  The 
weather  in  the  early  part  of  the  day  was  very  unpropitious, 
heavy  showers  descending,  with  brief  intervals,  until  four  p.m., 
when  the  rain  ceased,  and  it  continued  fair  during  the  evening. 
The  wet  detained  not  a  few  at  their  homes,  no  doubt,  but  most 
of  those  who  came  seemed  to  have  determined  to  be  present  in 
any  case  ;  and  by  five  o'clock  a  very  large  company — especially 
taking  into  account  the  thinly-peopled  districts  from  which  they 
had  gathered — had  assembled  on  the  beautiful  lawn  in  front  of 
the  castle.  Every  valley  and  hamlet  within  a  radius  of  ten 
miles  sent  its  company  in  gig,  cart,  or  afoot,  until  at  five  o'clock 
about  2, 500  people  stood  on  the  lawn.  The  gathering  resembled 
somewhat  one  of  the  Covenanter  hill-side  meetings,  save  that 
while  the  Bibles  were  still  present,  the  broadswords  were  alto- 
gether absent;  and  the  rendezvous,  instead  of  being  a  wild, 
rocky  pass,  was  a  hospitable  castle,  with  its  fairy  dell  and  leap- 
ing linn,  celebrated  in  song,  and  known  as  one  of  the  loveliest 
spots  in  Scotland. 

The  beauty  of  the  scene  seemed  specially  to  move  Mr.  Moody, 
who  referred  to  it  in  his  discourse,  which  was  one  of  peculiar 
beauty,  power,  and  pathos.  Standing  in  an  open  carriage  placed 
near  a  towering  tree,  the  preacher  spoke  for  nearly  an  hour  from 


THE    REVIVAL    IN    SCOTLAND. 


459 


the  parable  of  the  marriage  feast.  A  very  marked  impression 
was  produced,  and  many  retired  at  the  close  of  the  service  for 
conversation  with  the  preacher  and  other  ministers  and  friends. 

The  Craig  gathering  of  August,  1874,  will,  we  believe,  be 
ever  memorable  to  not  a  few  as  "  the  beginning  of  days  "  to 
them. 

"  I  must  say,"  said  Dr.  H.  Bonar,  "  that  I  have  not  seen  or 
heard  any  impropriety  or  extravagance.  I  have  heard  sound 
doctrine,  sober,  though  sometimes  fervent  and  tearful  speech 
the  utterance  of  full  hearts  yearning  over  the  wretched,  and 
beseeching  men  to  be  reconciled  to  God.  That  I  should 
accord  with  every  statement  and  fall  entirely  in  with  every  part 
of  their  proceeding  need  not  be  expected.  Yet  I  will  say  that 
I  have  not  witnessed  anything  sensational  or  repulsive.  Du- 
ring the  spiritual  movement  which  took  place  in  Scotland  about 
thirity  years  ago,  in  most  of  which  I  had  part,  I  saw  more  of 
what  was  extreme,  both  in  statement  and  proceeding,  than  I 
have  done  of  late.  There  was  far  more  of  excitement  then  than 
there  is  now.  The  former  movements  depended  far  more  ujDon 
vehement  appeals,  and  were  carried  along  more  by  the  sympa- 
thetic current  of  human  feeling  than  the  present.  When  the 
present  movement  began,  I  feared  lest  there  should  be  a 
repetition  of  some  of  the  scenes  which  I  had  witnessed  in 
other  days,  and  I  did  not  hesitate  to  express  my  fear  to 
brethren.  My  fears  have  not  been  realized.  I  have  been  as 
regular  in  my  attendance  at  the  meetings  as  I  could,  though  I 
will  not  say  that  there  was  nothing  which  I  might  not  have 
wished  different,  yet  I  have  been  struck  with  the  exceeding 
calmness  at  all  times — the  absence  of  excitement — the  peaceful 
solemnity  pervading  these  immense  gatherings  of  two  or  three 
thousand  people,  day  by  day — the  strange  stillness  that  at 
times  so  overawed  us  ;  and  I  felt  greatly  relieved  at  the 
absence  of  those  audible  manifestations  of  feelinsf  common  in 
former  days.  Rowland  Hill  was  once  asked  the  question, 
'  When  do  you  intend  to  stop  ? '  '  Not  till  we  have  carried  all 
before  us.'  So  say  our  brethren  from  Chicago.  We  say 
Amen.     This  needy  world    says    Amen.     Human  wickedness 


460  MOODY  AND   SANKEY   IN   GREAT   BRITAIN. 

and  evil  say  Amen.  Heaven  and  earth  say  Amen.  The  work 
is  great  and  the  time  is  short.  But  the  strength  is  not  of  man 
but  of  God." 

And  after  more  than  two  years  have  passed  by,  the  great 
results  continue  to  appear,  and  the  wave  of  holy  influence  kas 
swept  with  purifying  energy  over  all  that  land. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

The  Evangelists  in  Ireland. 

At  his  last  Bible-reading  Mr.  Moody  said  that,  in  considering 
what  should  be  the  subject,  he  thought,  What  was  it  he  wanted 
most  himself?  When  nine  months  ago  he  came  to  Scotland,  a 
perfect  stranger,  he  felt  utterly  powerless,  and  could  only  have 
been  sustained  by  the  Holy  Spirit's  help ;  now,  when  he  was 
going  to  Ireland,  he  felt  just  the  same ;  and  if  he  attempted  to 
go  there  resting  upon  the  grace  given  for  Scotland  he  should  fail. 
He  needed  a  fresh  anointing  for  this  new  service. 

In  this  spirit  of  entire  reliance  upon  the  Lord,  Mr.  Moody  con- 
templated the  Irish  field.  God  honors  those  who  honor  Him. 
We  shall  see  how  much  this  confidence  in  the  Lord  was  justified 
by  the  results  of  efforts  in  Ireland. 

It  would  seem  that  after  fourteen  months  of  such  toil,  they  might 
well  have  taken  a  little  rest.  But  Ireland  was  calling  them  ;  and 
bidding  farewell  to  Scotland,  they  proceeded  to  Belfast,  where 
they  held  their  first  meetings  on  Sunday,  Sept.  6,  1874. 

The  work  had  a  good  commencement  in  Belfast.  Numbers 
thronged  and  crushed  to  the  churches,  so  much  so  that  the  happy 
plan  was  adopted  of  dividing  the  meetings,  and  holding  gatherings 
for  women  only  at  two  o'clock,  and  for  men  only  at  eight  o'clock. 
Consequently,  the  large  churches  are  well  filled,  without  any 
unseemly  disorder. 

On  Friday  Mr.  Moody  addressed  both  meetings,  taking  for 
his  text,  "  The  Son  of  Man  is  come  to  seek  and  to  save  that 


462  MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN    GREAT    BRITAIN. 

which  was  lost."  With  great  power  and  aptitude  he  proclaimed 
the  Lord  Jesus  as  the  "  Seeker ; "  and  very  touchingly  he  con- 
vinced the  people  that  He  was  now  seeking  each  individually, 
seeking  to  save  and  to  bless  them.  Mighty  Faith,  then,  appears 
to  be  the  secret  of  Mr.  Moody's  power.  On  the  hearers  he  urges 
decision,  now  to  believe,  instant  salvation  on  faith  in  Jesus  only. 
His  address  was  interspersed  with  telling  illustrations,  which 
came  right  home  to  every  heart.  He  rapidly  referred  to  the  par- 
able of  the  lost  sheep  and  lost  piece  of  silver,  and  graphically 
narrated  the  sudden  conversion  of  Zaccheus,  unmistakably  evi- 
denced by  the  immediate  fruit  of  the  Spirit  in  his  change  from  an 
extortioner  to  a  restitutor.  Mr.  Sankey's  very  sweet  solos  and 
touching  hymns,  accompanied  on  the  American  harmonium, 
seemed  to  exercise  a  powerful  effect  in,  as  it  were,  deepening  the 
impression  of  the  Word. 

The  large  church,  which  holds  2,000,  was  filled  with  women  of 
all  classes ;  and  the  one  which  holds  1,500  had  every  seat  occu- 
pied with  men.  They  were  mostly  shopkeepers  and  mechanics, 
and  a  large  proportion  such  as  do  not  regularly  attend  churches. 
After  the  evening  meeting  the  Christians  were  invited  to  remain 
and  pray  for  the  speakers  to  the  anxious,  and  the  inquirers  were 
directed  to  side  apartments,  of  which  several  were  filled  with 
those  whom  the  Holy  Spirit  was  convincing  of  sin,  and  of  the 
need  of  the  seeking  Saviour.  Thus,  while  such  a  glorious  work 
as  has  been  witnessed  in  Scotland  has  not  yet  taken  place 
in  Belfast,  a  sweet  and  encouraging  commencement  has  been 
made. 

The  interest  in  the  meeting  in  the  evening  is  increasing.  From 
fifty  to  a  hundred  remain  each  evening,  under  anxiety  of  soul, 
desiring  to  be  pointed  to  the  Lamb  of  God,  who  taketh  away  the 
sin  of  the  world.  These  are  found  of  all  classes,  and  of  all 
shades  of  moral  and  religious  character — backsliders,  notorious 
sinners,  moral  5'oung  men,  whose  consciences  are  37et  tender,  and 
skeptics,  whose  hearts  hav'e  been  blasted  as  by  an  east  wind.  The 
majority  of  the  inquirers  are  young  men.  This  is  a  special,  and 
I  may  add  a  most  hopeful,  feature  of  the  work.     Many  seem 


THE    EVANGELISTS    IN    IRELAND.  463 

clearly  to  have  embraced  the  offered  gift,  and  to  be  rejoicmg  in 
God. 

On  Sabbath  Mr.  Moody  held  a  meeting  for  Christian  workers 
at  the  early  hour  of  eight,  and  notwithstanding  the  hour  the 
place  was  crowded,  so  much  so  that  the  overflow  filled  an  adjoin- 
ing room.  The  address  was  touching  entire  consecration  to  God, 
and  more  whole-hearted  activity  in  His  service.  An  open-air 
meeting  was  advertised  for  half-past  two  o'clock.  It  was  held 
in  an  open  space,  in  the  midst  of  the  mill-workers  of  our  town. 
Few,  if  any,  of  the  thousands  who  attended  that  meeting  will  ever 
forget  it.  Very  many,  I  believe,  will  remember  it  with  joy  in 
the  Father's  home  on  high.  The  attendance  was  great,  estimated 
variously  at  from  ten  to  twenty  thousand !  The  weather  was 
exceedingly  favorable.  Mr.  Sankey  sang  "Jesus  of  Nazareth 
passeth  by."  While  he  did  so  I  could  observe  in  the  glistening 
eye,  and  the  deep  sighs  of  many  around  where  I  stood,  that  it 
was  even  so. 

As  time  advances,  this  gracious  work  of  God  seems  to  extend 
and  deepen  rapidly.  On  Tuesday  the  experiment  was  tried  of 
holding  a  meeting  in  the  evening  exclusively  for  women,  in  order 
to  reach  the  case  of  workers  in  mills  and  warehouses.  More 
than  an  hour  before  the  time  of  meeting,  the  streets  around  were 
packed  with  a  dense  mass  of  women;  and  when  the  gates  were 
opened  the  place  was  filled  almost  in  a  moment ;  and  after  that, 
with  the  overflow,  three  large  churches.  In  all  these  meetings 
the  anxious,  willing  to  be  spoken  to,  were  more  than  could  be 
overtaken.  We  have  reached  a  blessed  difficulty — our  inability 
to  find  Christian  workers  in  sufficient  number,  who  are  able  and 
willing  to  point  the  seeking  sinner  to  the  Lamb  of  God. 

The  number  of  strangers  who  from  long  distances  visit  Belfast 
to  attend  the  mid-day  meetings  is  daily  increasing.  In  this  way 
the  work  is  already  extending,  and,  I  trust,  will  cover  the  whole 
island.  At  its  present  stage  of  progress,  the  most  marked  fea- 
tures are  desire  to  hear  the  Word  of  God,  willingness  to  be  spoken 
to  upon  the  state  of  the  soul,  frank  confession  on  the  part  of  many 
that  they  do  not  savingly  know  Jesus  ;  and,  most  blessed  of  all, 


4^4  MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    GREAT    BRITAIN. 

the  equally  frank  confession  on  the  part  of  many  that  they  have 
"found  Him  of  whom  Moses  in  the  law  and  the  prophets  did 
write,  Jesus  of  Nazareth." 

To-day  the  mid-day  meeting  is  solely  for  professing  Christians 
— the  subject,  "  Assurance."  In  the  evening  the  meeting  is 
intended  for  such  only  as  are  seeking  Jesus.  Mr.  Moody  has 
adopted  these  expedients  because  of  the  want  of  any  hall  or 
building  sufficient  to  contain  the  crowds  seeking  admission. 

Intense  calm  and  deep  earnestness  characterized  all  the  meet- 
ings. The  Holy  Spirit  was  poured  out,  not  with  a  rushing  wind, 
but  in  a  still,  small  voice.  An  unusual  proportion  of  fine  young 
men  waited  to  be  conversed  with  in  the  inquiry-rooms.  All 
seemed  to  feel  there  are  but  the  two  classes,  the  saved  and  the 
lost. 

Various  were  the  difficulties  felt  by  inquirers,  but  all  such  as 
anxious  souls  have  expressed  from  time  to  time.  Some  could 
not  understand  what  "  coming  to  Christ "  is ;  others  had  previ- 
ously come,  but  were  staggered  because  they  had  not  the  com- 
plete mastery  of  sin  ;  others,  again,  had  not  felt  a  sufficient  sense 
of  danger.  Warm-hearted  and  experienced  Christians  listened 
to  the  difficulties  of  each  and  all,  and  were  in  most  cases  enabled 
by  the  Holy  Spirit  to  speak  the  suited  word  and  remove  the 
stumbling-blocks. 

The  open-air  meeting  was  attended  by  numbers  variously  esti- 
mated at  from  10,000  to  20,000.  The  fundamental  truths  of  the 
gospel  were  forcibly  put  and  ably  illustrated.  Many  were  bathed 
in  tears.  Multitudes  of  careless  men  and  women  have  been 
awakened. 

Singing  bears  a  most  important  part  in  the  work  of  God. 
Deeply  effective  are  Mr.  Sankey's  solos,  not  only  in  touching  the 
heart's  affections,  but  in  deepening  the  impressions  made  by  the 
Word.  The  solo  "  Too  Late,"  following  on  Mr.  Moody's  address 
on  the  despair  of  the  lost  in  hell,  had  the  most  solemn  effect. 
The  wail,  "  Oh  !  let  us  in ;  oh !  let  us  in,"  and  the  awful  response, 
"  Too  late  !  too  late  !  you  cannot  enter  now,"  are  enough  to  wring 
the  inmost  soul  of  every  wavering  and  undecided  sinner. 


THE    EVANGELISTS    IN    IRELAND.  465 

A  meeting  for  inquirers  only  was  arranged  to  be  held  in  the 
evening  of  the  same  day,  in  the  Ulster  Hall,  the  largest  public 
building  we  have.  Admission  to  this  meeting  was  strictly  lim- 
ited to  those  professing  anxiety  to  find  Jesus.  Christian  workers 
were  admitted  by  ticket,  a  method  adopted  to  avoid  the  mistake 
too  often  made  at  such  meetings  of  allowing  incompetent  or  im- 
proper persons  to  engage  in  such  work.  There  is  not  one  Chris- 
tian in  a  hundred  fitted  for  this  most  delicate  and  difficult  service, 
requiring,  as  it  does,  close  communion  with  Jesus,  much  knowl- 
edge of  the  human  heart,  and  very  clear  views  of  gospel  truth, 
and  not  less  a  desire  to  know  nothing,  and  to  speak  of  nothing, 
save  Jesus  Christ  and  Him  crucified. 

While  all  this  is  true,  it  is  equally  true  that  none  are  oftener 
blessed  in  this  work  than  young  converts,  while  their  virgin  love 
is  yet  fresh,  and  their  faith  clear  and  simple.  There  was  at  the 
meeting  for  inquirers  an  attendance  of  some  500 — this  in  addition, 
it  may  be  noticed,  to  many  meetings  of  like  kind  held  in  various 
churches  at  the  close  of  the  evening  service.  It  was  very  touch- 
ing and  stimulating,  when  an  opportunity  was  given  by  Mr.  Moody 
at  the  close  of  the  meeting,  to  hear  many  young  men  read  out,  in 
trembling  tones,  and  yet  with  beaming  countenances,  some  pre- 
vious promise  of  the  Word  of  God.  It  seemed  like  throwing  out 
a  life-buoy  to  the  struggling  ones  around,  who  were  swimming  for 
life  in  the  waters  of  death — like  the  letting  down  of  a  cord  to  the 
prisoners  in  the  pit  in  which  there  is  no  water.  Subsequent 
information  in  the  young  men's  meeting  proved  that  these  truths 
were  laid  hold  of  savingly  by  not  a  few  that  Sabbath  night  in  the 
Ulster  Hall. 

On  Sabbath  night  we  had  our  first  meeting  for  young  men, 
from  nine  till  ten  o'clock.  To  the  surprise  of  all  of  us,  there  were 
about  1,500  present.  The  beginning  is  a  special  work,  which,  I 
trust,  will  spread  as  in  Glasgow^  There  had  been  during  the 
spring  a  very  marked  work  among  the  young  men  in  Belfast,  in 
connection  with  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association.  Now  it 
has  been  deepened  and  gready  extended. 

During  the  week  the  tide  of  spiritual  life  seemed  to  increase 


466  MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    GREAT    BRITAIN. 

each  day.  The  Bible-readings  at  two  o'clock  have  been  full  of 
interest,  specially  stimulating  to  many  whose  spiritual  life  had 
hitherto  been  very  dormant. 

The  manifestations  of  the  Spirit's  presence  and  power  were 
very  marked.  In  the  earlier  days  of  the  movement,  of  the  many 
who  were  deeply  convinced  of  sin,  comparatively  few  seemed  to 
come  to  rest  and  peace  and  faith  in  Jesus.  It  seemed  as  if  a 
higher  tide  of  the  Spirit's  power  were  needed  to  guide  them 
through  the  quicksands  of  difficulty,  and  over  the  bar  of  doubt 
and  distrust,  into  the  haven  of  rest. 

This  week,  we  thank  God,  it  is  otherwise.  We  can  say  with 
thanksgiving  concerning  many,  "  They  which  have  believed  do 
enter  into  rest." 

The  meeting  for  the  young  was  very  striking.  Mr.  Moody  pre- 
sided. The  truth  seemed  to  reach,  in  the  Spirit's  power,  many 
young  hearts.  A  meeting  for  boys  under  fifteen  has  been  organ- 
ized. Some  of  the  cases  in  it  are  exceedingly  touching,  affording, 
I  conceive,  illustrations  of  the  work  of  God  upon  the  human 
heart  in  its  simplest  and  deepest  form.  This  meeting  for  boys 
assembles  every  evening  now  at  half-past  seven. 

On  Monday  we  had  no  meeting — rather,  one  of  the  most 
remarkable  meetings,  I  shall  venture  to  say,  ever  held  in  Belfast. 
Fisherwick  Place  Church  was  open  for  inquirers  from  two  till  ten 
o'clock.  Mr.  Moody  and  other  Christian  workers  were  occupied 
all  that  time  in  pointing  sinners  to  the  Lamb  of  God.  It  is  im- 
possible to  say  how  many  wounded  spirits  were  conversed  with 
during  the  day.  Many  very  experienced  Christians,  who  have 
seen  much  of  the  Lord's  work  in  other  years,  declare  they  never 
saw  a  meeting  like  it. 

It  was  a  sight  which  would,  I  think,  have  drawn  tears  of  joy 
from  any  heart,  to  see  upward  of  200  young  men,  the  very  flower 
of  our  youth,  one  after  another  acknowledgipg  the  yoke  of  Jesus. 
Passing  just  across  the  street,  I  entered  May  Street  Church, 
where  more  than  1,000  men  were  assembled  to  hear  the  glad 
tidings  of  great  joy. 

In  order  that  as  many  as  possible  might  have  an  opportunity 


THE    EVANGELISTS    IN    IRELAND.  467 

of  hearing  the  gospel  at  these  special  services,  admission  on  Tues- 
day night  was  by  tickets,  given  only  to  such  as  had  not  hitherto 
heard  Mr.  Moody.  About  3,000  tickets  were  given  on  personal 
application.  It  was  a  season  to  be  remembered.  The  soil,  so  to 
speak,  was  virgin ;  the  attention  so  marked  as  to  be  almost  pain- 
ful in  its  silence ;  the  presence  of  God  very  powerful  in  the  con- 
sciousness of  every  spiritual  mind.  The  inquirers  at  the  close  of 
the  meeting  were  spoken  to,  as  far  as  they  could  be  overtaken, 
in  adjacent  churches,  to  which  the  men  and  women  were  sent 
respectively. 

It  is  worthy  of  remark,  the  great  contrast  in  outward  manifes- 
tation between  the  present  work  and  that  of  1859.  I  have  not 
heard  of  or  noticed  any  physical  excitement— not  even  an  outcry, 
much  less  what  were  then  known  as  "  prostrations." 

Here  let  me  sa}?-,  it  has  been  most  noteworthy  that  during  the 
last  weeks,  while  we  have  had  most  inclement  weather,  every 
Sabbath-day,  and  at  the  hour  of  our  great  gatherings,  it  has  been 
all  that  could  be  desired. 

The  number  in  attendance  was  fully  equal  to  any  preceding 
Sabbath.  It  may  give  you  some  idea  of  the  multitude  if  I  state 
that  the  field  on  which  the  meeting  was  held  contains  about  six 
acres,  and  that  the  people  stood  densely  packed  from  one  end  to 
the  other.  There  was  profound  solemnity.  The  impression  upon 
the  hearts  of  the  people  by  the  truth  in  the  power  of  the  Spirit 
was  very  deep,  as  the  sequel  will  show, 

Mr.  Moody  held  his  usual  meeting  on  Sabbath  evening  for 
those  in  deep  distress  about  salvation,  and  for  those  who  had 
found  eternal  life  during  the  past  weeks  through  faith  in  Jesus. 
The  meeting  was  exclusively  for  men,  and  admission  solely  by 
ticket.  The  hall  in  which  it  was  held  was  completely  filled.  Mr. 
Moody  stated  in  the  noon-day  prayer-meeting  on  Monday  that, 
in  his  judgment,  it  was  the  most  7'emarkable  7iieeting  he  has  had  yet 
in  Europe.  To  God  be  all  the  praise  !  One  after  another  of 
these  young  men — and  they  comprise  the  very  flower  of  our 
youth — rose,  and,  with  clearness  and  wonderful  felicity  of  expres- 
sion, in  burning  words,  declared  what  God  had  done  for  his  soul. 
At  length,  at  nine  o'clock,  the  meeting:  was  closed. 


468  MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    GREAT    BRITAIN. 

Meanwhile  another  meeting  of  men  was  assembling  in  a  church. 
It  was  already  very  nearly  filled  when  we  heard  the  tread  of  a 
large  company  approaching.  It  was  a  phalanx  of  these  redeemed 
youths.  They  sang  the  new  song.  In  a  spontaneous  burst  of 
praise  they  were  telling  forth  the  wonders  of  redeeming  love.  No 
language  can  describe  the  scene.  The  heavenly  echoes  of  that 
burst  of  praise,  I  think,  will  never  be  forgotten  by  any  who  heard 
it.  The  meeting  that  followed,  consisting  of  some  two  thousand 
men,  I  need  not  say,  was  one  of  profound  interest — Jesus  in  the 
midst,  and  the  marching  glorious. 

During  each  day  of  this  week,  and  at  every  gathering,  more 
and  more  of  the  presence  of  the  God  of  salvation  has  been  mani- 
fested. Let  me  in  a  sentence  or  two  describe  one  which,  in  sober 
language,  was  most  wonderful.  Mr.  Moody  addressed  on  Mon- 
day evening  in  Fisherwick  Place  Church,  a  meeting  of  men.  At 
the  close  of  his  address  all  who  had  recently  been  found  by  the 
Good  Shepherd,  and  also  all  who  were  seeking  Him,  were 
requested  to  retire  to  the  adjoining  lecture-room.  Some  six 
hundred  men  did  so.  Mr.  Moody  again  sifted  them,  by  request- 
ing that  those  only  who  were  deeply  anxious  to  be  saved  should 
adjourn  to  another  room.  Probably  nearly  three  hundred  did  so. 
In  breathless  stillness  Mr.  Moody  addressed  them,  very  briefiy 
stating  that  he  could  do  no  more  for  them — that  they  had  heard 
the  gospel,  and  that  it  v/as  for  themselves  to  decide.  He  called 
upon  them  to  kneel  and  pray  for  themselves.  They  bowed  as 
one  man,  and  now  here  and  now  there  might  be  heard  the  short 
cry  for  mercy — a  few  earnest  words  of  supplication ;  probably 
about  thirty  or  forty  so  cried  to  God  one  after  the  other.  Surely 
the  Lord  is  in  this  place !  was  the  thought  which  rose  in  holy 
fear  in  the  hearts  of  all. 

After  a  short  prayer  by  Mr.  Moody,  he  addressed  them  very 
faithfully.  He  again  held  forth  Christ,  and  invited  all  to  rise 
who  felt  that  they  could  there  and  then  accept  Jesus.  All  of  that 
large  compan}^,  save  twenty  or  thirty,  stood  up,  and  solemnly 
avouched  the  Lord  to  be  their  God.  This  wonderful  sight  cannot 
be  described.     The  glory  of  it  cannot  be  realized,  even  by  those 


THE    EVANGELISTS    IN    IRELAND.  469 

best  acquainted  with  divine  things.  If  there  is  joy  in  heaven 
over  one  sinner  that  repenteth,  what  shall  we  say  of  the  gladness 
in  the  Father's  house  when  the  prodigals  in  companies  of  some 
two  hundred  enter,  as  it  were,  at  once? 

Thursday,  October  8,  we  had  fixed  for  a  gathering  of  the 
masses  in  the  open  air.  Many  had  fears  for  the  weather,  but 
much  prayer  in  many  places  over  the  three  kingdoms  was  offered 
to  God  for  the  success  of  the  meeting.  God  did  for  us  above 
what  we  asked.  The  weather  was  splendid ;  everything  as  re- 
gards order  and  decorum  all  that  any  of  us  could  wish.  It  was 
the  largest  open-air  meeting  I  ever  attended.  I  cannot  pretend 
to  fix  a  limit  to  the  numbers.  He  who  counts  the  stars  knew  the 
history  of  each  present,  and  what  were  the  dealings  of  his  heart 
with  Christ  and  the  free  offer  of  His  salvation.  The  only  regret 
that  seemed  to  be  expressed  by  any  was,  that  the  services  were 
so  short. 

Mr.  Moody  addressed  the  vast  multitude  from  the  words,  ''  I 
pray  thee,  have  me  excused."  With  graphic  felicity,  great  clear- 
ness, and  soul-piercing  power,  he  exposed  the  miserable  pre- 
tences by  which  sinners  impose  upon  themselves  in  refusing  a 
present  offer  of  present  blessedness.  The  address  seemed  to 
strike  with  convicting  power  many  consciences,  and,  from  many 
instances  coming  under  my  own  observation  at  the  inquiry-meet- 
ing in  Fisherwick  Place  Church,  I  have  reason  to  believe  in  sal- 
vation power. 

The  great  gathering  in  the  Botanic  Gardens  on  October  8  has 
been  our  crowning  mercy  in  this  season  of  blessing.  We  feel  as 
if  every  prayer  had  been  heard  and  every  heart  gratified  by  our 
gracious  God.  As  the  days  pass,  and  as  tidings  reach  us  from 
the  country  districts  all  around,  we  continually  hear  of  rich 
blessings  bestowed  and  of  precious  fruits  following.  Many  car- 
'ied  with  them  to  their  homes  the  spark  of  renewed  life.  That 
spark  has,  in  some  cases,  already  burnt  into  a  blaze.  We  receive 
the  good  news  from  many  places  of  great  readiness  to  hear  the 
Word  of  God,  and  the  cry,  ''  Come  over  and  help  us,"  reaches 
us  from  many  quarters.    - 


470  MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    GREAT    BRITAIN. 

Our  dear  American  brethren  left  us  on  Saturday  for  Derry. 
Tidings  have  reached  us  that  a  great  and  effectual  door  was 
opened  unto  them  in  that  city. 

Messrs.  Moody  and  Sankey  returned  from  Derry  this  morning 
(October  15)  to  hold  their  final  meeting  ere  passing  on  to  Dub- 
lin. Mr.  Moody  presided  at  the  noon-day  prayer-meeting.  The 
subject  was,  "  Lessons  from  the  Life  of  Jacob."  The  meeting 
was  one  of  great  interest.  The  meeting  in  the  evening  was  held 
in  St.  Enoch's  Church.  It  was  exclusively  for  sinners  under 
anxiety  of  soul,  who  professed  to  be  earnestly  seeking  Jesus. 
Admission  was  by  tickets,  and  that,  moreover,  on  personal  appli- 
cation. 

Readers  may  judge  of  the  depth  of  the  movement  and  the 
measure  of  awakening  power  upon  the  souls  of  men  by  the  Spirit 
of  God,  when  I  state  that  upward  of  2,400  persons  were  so  ad- 
mitted !  It  was  Mr.  Moody's  last  appeal  in  Belfast  to  the  Christ- 
less.  I  may  not  attempt  to  describe  the  scene  !  He  set  before 
the  anxious,  sin-stricken  multitude,  Jesus  in  all  the  glory  of  His 
sufficiency — in  all  the  attractions  of  His  dying  love.  He  showed 
Him,  as  with  one  foot  upon  the  threshold  of  the  heart  He  sought 
admission.  Now  in  f^iithful  and  firm  words  he  warned  them  of 
the  dangers  of  delay  ;  and  now  he  gently  moved  them,  in  tender- 
ness, as  one  whom  his  mother  comforteth.  At  length  he  ceased 
speaking,  that  each  might  hear,  in  the  silence,  the  voice  of  Jesus 
pleading  directly.  And  in  the  awful  stillness  of  that  moment 
many  of  that  great  company  of  seeking  sinners,  I  trust,  were  able 
to  say  in  words  expressive  of  soul-submission,  "  Sj^eak,  Lord,  for 
thy  servant  heareth." 

I  think  it  must  have  been  the  most  notable  meeting  in  the 
experience  of  Mr.  Moody.  I  do  not  at  present  remember  to 
have  read  of  any  such  meeting,  as  regards  the  number  of  the 
awakened,  in  modern  times.  Does  it  not  seem  like  a  return  of 
Pentecostal  power,  when  3,000  were  similarly  smitten  with  soul- 
concern? 

The  meeting  in  the  evening  was  for  the  young  converts — for 
all  who  have  reason  to  believe  that  they  had  found  Jesus  since 


THE    EVANGELISTS    IN    IRELAND. 


471 


Messrs.  Moody  and  Sankey  came  to  Belfast.  Admission  was 
strictly  by  ticket.  These  tickets  were  only  given  on  personal 
application.  About  two  thousand  one  hicndred  and  fifty  tickets 
were  given!  What  a  rich  harvest!  How  soon  gathered!  The 
result  of  some  five  weeks'  work  !  I  have  good  reason  to  believe 
that  even  this  number  fell  very  fiir  short  of  the  whole  number  who 
profess  to  have  received  Jesus  as  the  gift  of  God. 

It  was  a  soul-stirring  sight  to  see  that  vast  multitude,  including 
the  Christian  workers  and  ministers,  numbering  more  than  3,000. 
It  was  like  the  sound  of  many  waters  to  hear  this  multitude  sing 
the  new  song.     As  all  stood  and  sung  in  one  burst  of  praise — 


"  O  happy  day  that  fixed  my  choice 
On  Thee,  my  Saviour  and  my  God, 


the  effect  was  overpowering,  filling  the  soul  with  a  sweet  fore- 
taste of  the  praises  of  heaven. 

Mr.  Moody's  last  word  of  comfort  and  encouragement  was 
founded  on  Rom.  xiv.  4,  "  God  is  able  to  make  him  stand."  He 
closed  his  address  by  commending  all  the  new-born  souls  "  to 
Him  who  is  able  to  keep  you  from  falling."  Hundreds  of  men 
not  used  to  a  melting  mood,  with  weeping  eyes  and  heaving 
bosoms,  heard  him  say,  as  he  concluded,  "Good-night;  we  shall 
meet  in  the  morning  when  the  shadows  flee  away." 

A  very  touching  incident  in  the  service  was  the  singing,  by 
Mr.  Sankey,  of  a  hymn  composed  by  a  dying  youth  in  Belfast, 
"  Is  there  room  t  they  say  there  is  room !  " 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

The  Glory  of  God  in  Dublin. 

The  brethren  began  in  this  beautiful  capital  where  only  about 
40,000,  or  one-sixth  of  the  population,  are  Protestant,  on  the  26th 
of  October,  and  continued  there  till  November  29.     Says  one  : 

"It  was  not  found  necessary  to  preach  those  sermons  which 
are  generally  used  as  a  preparation  for  revival.  The  revival 
commenced  immediately.  Dublin  had  been  waiting  to  hear  the 
Gospel  preached ;  and  its  people,  by  crowds,  when  they  heard 
it,  eagerly  pressed  into  the  kingdom  of  Christ.  From  all  over 
the  island,  multitudes  came  up  to  attend  the  meetings ;  many  of 
whom  went  home  happy  in  the  love  of  Christ.  One  woman  came 
a  hundred  miles  to  hear  Mr.  Moody  preach,  but  was  too  late  to 
obtain  admission.  The  next  day,  however,  she  read  a  report 
of  his  sermon  in  a  morning  paper,  and  it  was  blessed  to  her  sal- 
vation. One  new  convert  wrote  a  letter  to  a  lady  friend,  and 
this  letter  was  the  means  of  her  conversion.  Then  she  read  it  to 
her  mother,  who  also  was  led  to  the  Saviour  :  and  afterwards  her 
father  and  her  brothers,  all  by  reading  the  same  letter,  were 
induced  to  give  their  hearts  to  Christ." 

We  have  never  before  seen  such  sights  in  Dublin  as  we  have 
seen  this  last  week,  night  after  night,  at  the  Exhibition  Palace. 
It  is  estimated  to  hold  10,000  persons.  Every  night  it  is  filled, 
and  the  attention  and  silence  is  wonderful.  One  feels  that  the 
Spirit  of  God  is  present,  and  that  "a  wave  of  prayer"  is  contin- 
ually going  up  to  the  throne  from  the  Lord's  people. 

The  committee  of  management  procured  the  Exhibition  Pal- 


THE    GLORY    OF    GOD    IN    DUBLIN.  473 

ace  for  holding  these  services,  the  largest  and  most  commodious 
building  which  has  yet,  in  Europe,  been  placed  at  Mr.  Moody's 
disposal.  On  Sunday  last,  the  Christians  of  Dublin  wit- 
nessed a  sight  to  gladden  their  hearts.  It  has  been  estimated 
that,  at  the  first  service  at  four  o'clock,  from  twelve  to  fifteen  thou- 
sand persons  were  gathered  there.  Never  before  was  it  put  to  so 
blessed  a  use. 

Such  a  sight  has  never  before  been  witnessed  here  as  may  now 
be  seen  every  day  —  thousands  flocking  to  the  prayer-meeting 
and  the  Bible-meeting,  and  most  of  all  to  the  evening  services  in 
the  great  Exhibition  Palace.  It  is  a  sight  to  fill  the  heart  of  the 
child  of  God  with  deepest  emotion  to  stand  upon  the  platform 
erected  in  that  building,  from  which  Mr.  Moody  preaches,  and 
to  cast  one's  eye  over  the  vast  concourse  of  people,  hanging  on 
the  speaker's  lips,  as  in  burning  words  he  discourses  on  life  and 
death,  heaven  and  hell,  "Jesus  and  His  love,"  and  one  cannot 
but  ask  the  question,  "What  is  the  magic  power  which  draws 
together  those  mighty  multitudes,  and  holds  them  spell-bound?" 
Is  it  the  worldly  rank,  or  wealth,  or  learning,  or  oratory  of  the 
preacher  ?  No  ;  for  he  is  possessed  of  but  little  of  these  (spirit- 
ually, indeed,  he  is  richly  endowed  with  them  all).  It  is  the  sim- 
ple lifting  up  of  the  cross  of  Christ — the  holding  forth  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  before  the  eyes  of  the  people  in  all  the  glory  of  His  God- 
head, in  all  the  simplicity  of  His  manhood,  in  all  the  perfection 
of  His  nature,  for  their  admiration,  for  their  adoration,  and  for 
their  acceptance. 

For  some  time,  notwithstanding  the  huge  crowds,  our  brethren 
felt  that  they  were  not  reaping  heavy  sheaves  as  they  had  done 
elsewhere.  But  the  conviction  grows  upon  us  that  the  "  set  time  " 
to  favor  us  has  come.  The  work  is  deepening  and  widening 
every  day.  In  many  families  with  which  I  am  intimately 
acquainted,  one  or  more  of  the  members  have  hopefully  turned 
unto  the  Lord.  I  know  cases  in  which  I  may  say  the  whole  fam- 
ily has  been  brought  to  seek  salvation  as  the  one  thing  needful. 
It  is  very  observable,  too,  how  previously  existing  prejudice  has 
abated,  or  entirely  disappeared,  at  least  in  the  case  of  those  who 


474  MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN    GREAT    BRITAIN. 

manifest  any  respect  for  religion.  Tliere  are,  of  course,  scoffers 
not  a  few.  But  it  is  truly  a  matter  of  astonishment  in  a  city  like 
this,  that  there  is  so  little  of  open  resistance  or  even  of 
ridicule. 

Our  Roman  Catholic  brethren,  as  a  rule,  have  acted  a  noble 
part.  They  have  been  respectful;  and,  to  a  certain  extent,  sym- 
pathizing. In  this  week's  number  of  the  Nation — an  organ  at 
once  of  National  (as  it  is  called)  and  Ultramontane  principles — 
an  article  has  appeared  entitled  "  Fair  Play !  "  which  is  exceed- 
ingly creditable,  and  which  indicates  the  advent  of  a  new  day  in 
Ireland.  The  editor  informs  his  constituents  that  ^^  the  deadly 
danger  of  the  age  comes  upon  us  from  the  direction  of  Huxley, 
and  Darwin,  and  Tyndall,  rather  than  from  Moody  and  Sankey. 
Irish  Catholics  desire  to  see  Protestants  deeply  imbued  with 
religious  feeling,  rather  than  tinged  with  rationalism  and  infidel- 
ity ;  and  as  long  as  the  religious  services  of  our  Protestant  neigh- 
bors are  honestly  directed  to  quickening  religious  thought  in 
their  own  body,  without  offering  aggressive  or  intentional  insult 
to  us,  it  is  our  duty  to  pay  the  homage  of  our  respect  to  their  con- 
scientious convictions  ;  in  a  word,  to  do  as  we  would  be  done  byP 
(The  italics  are  the  Nation's.)  It  would  surely  be  a  bright  and 
blessed  day  for  our  country,  if  this  spirit  of  mutual  respect  and 
toleration  were  everywhere  honestly  acted  out  amongst  us.  Mr. 
Moody  never  makes  controversial  reference  to  others.  His  suc- 
cess in  attracting  the  favorable  attention  of  our  brethren  of  a 
different  faith  has  been  unexampled  in  the  history  of  our 
city. 

One  very  marked  feature  in  the  movement  is  the  number  of 
men  that  are  influenced.  Many  people  have  remarked  the 
large  proportion  of  them  that  are  inquiring. 

A  few  nights  ago  an  old  gentleman,  more  than  seventy  years 
of  age,  threw  himself  down  on  his  knees  and  sobbed  like  a  child. 
He  said,  "  I  was  utterly  careless  about  my  soul  till  last  night,  but 
I  have  been  so  unhappy  since,  I  could  not  sleep.  I  seemed  to  hear 
ringing  in  my  ears,  '  Jesus  of  Nazareth  is  passing  by,'  and  if  I  don't 
get  saved  now,  I  never  shall  be." 


THE    GLORY    OF    GOD    IN    DUBLIN.  ^>j^ 

Already  the  influence  of  this  work  has  begun  to  tell  upon  the 
most  remote  districts  of  the  country.  Parties  of  thirty,  fifty, 
sixty,  etc.,  are  being  organized  from  the  most  distant  parts  to 
Dublin.  Many  of  these  carry  back  with  them  much  blessing. 
We  hear  of  the  young  converts  witnessing  for  Christ  fearlessly  in 
the  trains  on  their  way  home  from  their  meetings.  "  The  Lord 
hath  done  great  things  for  us,  whereof  we  are  glad."  But  we  ex- 
pect greater  things  still.  I  am  fully  confident,  from  all  the  indi- 
cations I  see,  that  next  week  will  be  likely  greatly  to  surpass 
the  previous  delightful  weeks  we  have  had.  The  memory  of 
these  blessed  meetings  in  the  Metropolitan  Hall  and  the  Exhibi- 
tion building,  will  long,  yea,  will  ever  be  fragrant  in  our  hearts. 
I  do  not  think  we  had  ever  such  an  antepast  of  heaven. 

The  Public  Breakfast  given  to  Messrs.  Moody  and  Sankey 
yesterday  morning,  was,  in  every  way,  a  wonderful  meeting.  I 
heard  nearly  all  to  whom  I  spoke  on  the  subject,  say  it  was  the 
happiest  reunion  they  ever  attended.  It  was  a  truly  catholic 
gathering.  Eminent  men  among  us,  under  the  influence  of 
deep  emotion,  bore  testimony  to  the  spiritual  good  they  had 
received  at  the  meetings.  Ministers  testified  of  the  instruction 
and  quickening  that  had  come  to  them. 

No  men — ministers,  evangelists  or  others — ever  before  brought 
a  more  interested  assembly  around  them  in  Dublin  than  these 
honored  servants  of  the  Lord  did  yesterday  morning  in  the  Shel- 
bourne  Hotel.  And  yet  it  is  not  Messrs.  Moody  and  Sankey, 
but  the  Christ  they  preach  and  sing.  It  is  Christ  lifted  up  that 
draws  all  men  unto  Him.  Oh  that  we  might  all  learn  that  we 
have  here  the  true  and  only  uniting  power  for  Ireland  ! 

I  can  confidently  say  that  the  work  here  intensifies  and  spreads 
every  day,  I  might  say  every  hour.  Some  of  our  more  timid  and 
cautious  friends  who  had  almost  never  come  in  contact  with  a 
great  religious  awakening,  were  fearful,  while  we  were  making  our 
preliminary  arrangements,  that  it  would  be  next  to  impossible  to 
keep  up  the  interest  of  the  people  for  a  month  or  more  ;  but  the 
fact  is,  the  interest  was  never  nearly  so  great  as  it  is  this  moment ; 
and  as  the  time   of  our  brethren's   departure  draws  near,   the 


47^  MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    GREAT    BRITAIN. 

eagerness  to  hear  their  every  word  and  catch  their  eveiy  song  is 
something  wonderful  to  see.  As  I  remarked  before,  this  eager- 
ness does  not  now  proceed  from  curiosity. 

At  all  the  meetings  yesterday,  the  attendance  was  enormous. 
It  is  a  very  healthful  sign  of  this  work,  that  the  daily  prayer-meet- 
ing continues  to  be  so  largely  attended,  although  neither  Mr. 
Moody  nor  Mr.  Sankey  usually  takes  a  very  prominent  part  in  it. 
The  requests  for  prayer  have  become  so  numerous,  that  it  has  been 
found  impossible  to  read  even  a  brief  classification  of  them.  The 
letters  have  for  some  days  been  "  spread  before  the  Lord,"  after 
the  example  of  good  King  Hezekiah,  the  meeting  uniting  in 
silent  entreaty  for  the  special  cases  sent  in. 

Hundreds  were  obliged  yesterday  to  go  away  disappointed  in 
their  efforts  to  get  into  the  Bible-reading  in  the  Metropolitan  Hall. 
Mr.  Moody  reserved  his  best  wine  to  the  last.  A  more  suggestive 
Bible-lecture  it  was  never  our  privilege  to  hear.  We  had  a  com- 
pendium of  some  half  a  dozen  Bible-readings.  The  great  bulk 
of  the  people,  ministers  included,  were  taking  notes.  It  is  given 
to  few  preachers  to  have  so  many  eager  reporters.  Many  a  good 
sermon  will  be  got  out  of  yesterday's  addresses.  One  minister 
remarked  that  it  was  as  good  as  an  addition  of  many  a  good  book 
to  his  librar}^  It  is  calculated  that  in  the  evening  there  were  not 
less  than  12,000  persons  assembled  in  the  Exhibition  building. 
There  is  not  a  Sabbath  service  in  any  congregation  in  Britain  in 
which  there  is  a  greater  solemnity  and  decorum  than  there  was  in 
that  vast  assembly.  The  sight  from  the  platform  of  these  earnest, 
and,  in  many  cases,  awe-stricken  thousands,  is  one  that  it  will  be 
impossible  for  us  ever  to  forget.  Some  one  remarked  to  me,  a 
day  or  two  ago,  how  significant  it  was  that  during  the  severe 
weather  of  last  week,  even  .a  cough  was  scarcely  heard  in  that 
great-crowded  glass  building.  When  Mr.  Sankey  sings  the 
silence  is  sometimes  even  oppressive. 

We  are  now  engaged  in  giving  out  tickets  for  the  Thanksgiving 
meeting  to  be  held  on  Wednesday  evening,  the  last  night  Mr. 
Moody  has  promised  to  be  with  us.  The  tickets  are  given  only 
to  those  who  profess  to  have  been  brought  to  Christ  during  the 


THE   GLORY   OF   GOD   IN    DUBLIN.  477 

special  services.  We  are  very  careful  in  giving  these  tickets, 
though  I  doubt  not  there  may  be  many  stony-ground  hearers. 

We  have  had  the  help  in  this  work  of  some  of  the  most  experi- 
enced ministers  of  the  gospel  in  our  city ;  and  the  general  impres- 
sion made  on  the  minds  of  the  brethren  who  have  taken  part  in  it, 
is  of  deep  and  intense  gratitude  for  the  many  indubitable  tokens 
of  the  presence  and  power  of  the  regenerating  Spirit  of  God. 
About  a  thousand  tickets  have  been  already  given  out ;  but  many 
of  the  converts  have  not  yet  applied. 

Arrangements  have  been  made  for  the  carrying  on  of  special 
prayer  and  evangelistic  meetings,  after  our  brethren  have  left. 
Leading  ministers  of  all  our  evangelical  churches  have  thrown 
themselves  heartily  into  these  arrangements.  We  have  felt  that 
it  is  a  good  thing — good  for  ourselves,  and  good  for  that  cause 
which,  with  all  our  imperfections,  is  dearer  to  us  than  life — for 
brethren  to  dwell  together,  and  work  together,  in  unity. 

The  labors  of  the  Evangelists  closed  with  a  three  days'  con- 
vention, which  was  attended  by  800  ministers,  from  all  parts  of 
Ireland,  besides  thousands  of  the  general  public.  The  first  day 
was  devoted  to  discussions  on  the  following  topics:  "Praise 
and  Thanksgiving,"  "  How  are  the  masses  to  be  reached  .'* " 
"  What  can  be  done  to  promote  the  Lord's  work  throughout  Ire- 
land ? "  etc.  The  second  day  was  signalized  by  a  gathering  of 
over  2,000  converts,  to  whom  Mr.  Moody  addressed  loving  coun- 
sels, and  on  the  third  day  there  was  another  gathering  of  the  min- 
isters in  Exhibition  Palace.  And  thus  terminated  one  of  the 
most  remarkable  gatherings  ever  held  in  Dublin.  Mutual  love 
and  courtesy  marked  all  the  proceedings.  Strangers  could  not 
tell  to  what  body  of  Christians  many  of  the  speakers  belonged. 

The  labors  of  the  evangelists  in  Ireland  were  ended,  and  on 
Sunday,  the  29th  of  November,  at  Manchester,  they  began  their 
new  work  in  England. 

The  happy  visit  of  Messrs.  Moody  and  Sankey  to  Dublin  is 
now  a  thing  of  the  past.  These  men  of  God  are  gone  from  us, 
but  the  work  remains.     That  work  consists : 

I.  In  a  great  general  azvakening  throughout   Dublin  and  its 


478  MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN    GREAT    BRITAIN. 

neighborhood.  This  is  a  fact  which  is  patent  to  all,  and  cannot 
be  gainsayed  or  denied.  It  is  a  fact  that  from  12,000  to  20,000 
persons  have  been  attracted  to  the  Exhibition  Palace  every  Sun- 
day afternoon  since  the  work  began ;  that  the  attendance  at  the 
services  held  each  evening  in  the  same  place,  beginning  with 
some  5,000  people,  increased  each  evening  till  it  became  as  great 
as  on  the  Sundays ;  and  this  notwithstanding  an  audience  of 
from  2,000  to  2,500  hard  been  in  daily  attendance  at  the  noon 
prayer-meeting  in  the  Metropolitan  Hall,  and  on  three  days  in 
each  week  at  the  Bible-readings  at  two  o'clock  in  the  same  place. 
What  has  been  the  great  attractive  power  which  has  drawn 
together  such  vast  multitudes  ?  Thank  God,  it  was  the  simple 
statement  of  gospel  truth — the  old,  old  story  of  Jesus  and  His 
love,  plainly  and  lovingly  told. 

2.  The  briiiging  in  of  sovie  3,000  converts  to  the  fold  of  Christ. 
Nearly  2,000  tickets  were  issued  to  those  who  professed  to  have 
found  the  Lord  Jesus  as  their  Saviour  since  these  services  began. 
To  these  must  be  added  the  many  hundreds  who  came  up  from' 
all  parts  of  the  country  to  attend  the  services,  and  who  found  "joy 
and  peace  in  believing,"  some  of  whom  are  known  to  myself, 
besides  all  those  who  are  still  day  by  day  being  added  to  the  Lord. 

3.  The  quickening  and  refreshing  of  many  hinidt'eds  of  mitiisters 
in  connection  with  the  convention  held  this  week.  It  was  a  happy 
thought  to  bring  so  many  ministers  of  the  various  evangelical 
denominations  together  at  this  time.  It  afforded  them  an  oppor- 
tunity of  seeing  with  their  own  eyes  the  reality  of  this  great  work 
of  God  which  is  going  on  around  us,  getting  their  own  hearts 
warmed  up  afresh,  and  thus  of  becoming,  when  they  return  home, 
more  than  ever  centres  of  spiritual  light  and  heat  in  their  own 
parishes  and  districts. 

Says  a  well-informed  writer:  "The  finances  of  the  Dublin 
revival  are  worthy  of  special  attention.  Some  days  before 
Messrs.  Moody  and  Sankey  arrived,  three  or  four  gentlemen  met 
at  the  office  of  Mr.  David  Drummond  ;  and,  after  consultation 
and  prayer,  decided  to  send  out  a  circular,  saying  that  the  Amer- 
ican  evangelists  were  coming ;  that  the  Great  Exhibition  Palace 


THE   GLORY    OF    GOD    IN    DUBLIN. 


479 


had  been  engaged  for  them  ;  and  that  money  would  be  wanted  to 
meet  the  large  expenses  attendant  upon  the  services.  It  was 
determined  to  ask  for  the  sum  of  ^1,500 ;  and  circulars  for  this 
purpose  were  sent  out  to  five  or  six  thousand  of  the  leading  citi- 
zens of  Dublin.  Only  two  instances  of  personal  solicitation  are 
mentioned;  but  the  money  came  in  so  fast,  that  Mr.  Drummond, 
who  was  the  treasurer,  was  obliged  to  employ  a  clerk  to  keep  the 
record.  Old  ladies  would  come  in  Bath-chairs  to  bring  half  a 
crown.  People  in  high  life  came  in  carriages,  bringing  cheques 
or  gold.  Even  the  poor  desired  to  have  some  share  in  the  work, 
and  gave  their  pennies  and  half-pence.  By  some  means  the  sub- 
scription became  known  to  the  prisoners  in  a  certain  jail  in  the 
south  of  Ireland ;  and  they,  regretting  their  inability  to  be 
present,  sent  their  good  wishes,  and  a  little  collection  which  had 
been  raised  among  them,  to  the  amount  of  twenty-five  shillings. 
From  Protestants  and  Papists,  masters  and  servants,  the  contri- 
butions poured  in.  No  sum  larger  than  ;^3o  was  received.  A 
large  part  of  the  money  was  in  silver  and  copper;  but  the  full 
amount  required  was  raised. 

"  Having  now  come  so  near  to  the  question  of  the  support  of 
Messrs.  Moody  and  Sankey,  the  readers  of  this  work  will  natu- 
rally desire  to  know  something  on  that  interesting  topic.  Here 
let  it  be  said,  once  for  all,  that  these  brethren  do  not  work  for 
pay.  They  have  never  sought  an  invitation  ;  never  stipulated  for 
any  sum  of  money  to  be  given  them,  either  for  their  services  or 
expenses.  In  every  instance,  Mr.  Moody  determined  the  ques- 
tion of  going  to,  or  passing  by,  a  place,  under  the  direction,  as  he 
believed,  of  the  Spirit  of  God.  The  committees  which  invited 
him  have  held  the  matter  of  finance  entirely  in  their  own  hands. 
They  have  raised  the  money  as  they  pleased,  and  given  him  such 
sums  as  they  judged  suitable;  these  he  has  shared  with  Mr.  San- 
key ;  and  thus  they  have  labored  together,  taking  what  God  sent 
them — which  in  many  instances  has  been  very  little,  and  in  no 
case  very  much.  At  Dublin  the  committee  consulted  together, 
and  determined  to  give  Mr.  Moody  a  sum  of  money  which,  they 
afterwards  were  glad  to  learn,  was  in  excess  of   what  he  had 


480  MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN    GREAT    BRITAIN. 

received  hitherto ;  but  even  upon  the  proportion  of  this  generous 
gift,  the  American  evangelists  will  never  become  rich  out  of  their 
present  employment.  Still,  in  the  secular  press,  and  in  the  gossip 
of  the  streets  and  offices,  these  men  are  accused,  by  those  who 
know  nothing  of  them,  of  mercenary  motives  in  their  great  work 
for  Christ. 

"  Only  a  little  while  ago  a  certain  newspaper  suggested  that  they 
were  an  advance-guard  sent  over  by  Barnum  ;  and  that  the  adver- 
tising scheme,  no  doubt,  would  presently  appear.  Another  equally 
discerning  party  had  heard  of  Mr.  Moody's  little  device  for  setting 
children  to  study  the  Bible,  which  he  calls  '  the  Gospel  clock.'  It 
consists  of  the  grouping  of  twelve  texts  of  Scripture  in  a  circle, 
containing  respectively  the  same  number  of  words  as  those  which 
mark  the  hours  upon  a  dial.  A  great  many  of  these  Gospel  clock- 
faces  have  been  arranged  by  the  little  people  to  their  no  small 
profit  and  deliglit.  But  the  individual  referred  to  saw  in  it  a  sug- 
gestion of  a  different  character.  'I  have  it  at  last,'  said  he, 
'  Moody  is  a  clock-maker  in  America,  and  this  is  the  beginning 
of  a  system  of  advertising,  by  which  he  means  to  sell  his  wares.' 

"  In  like  manner  Mr.  Sankey  has  been  assailed  as  an  agent  for 
the  sale  of  that  peculiar  make  of  harmoniums  which  he  uses  to 
accompany  his  singing.  But  it  is  scarcely  needful  to  say  that  no 
such  charge  can  be  properly  made  against  him." 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

The  Harvest  in  England. 

They  were  no  longer  the  strangers  who  first  struggled  for  a 
hearing  in  York,  but  brethren  "  beloved  and  longed  for  "  by  thou- 
sands who  had  not  yet  seen  their  faces  in  the  flesh.  Preparations 
at  Manchester,  whither  they  first  went,  were  intelligently  made 
for  the  successful  conduct  of  their  work,  and  we  soon  hear  the 
tidings  through  the  press  that  "  Manchester  is  now  on  fire." 

The  most  difficult  of  all  English  cities,  perhaps,  to  be  set  on 
fire  by  anything  but  politics,  is  now  fairly  ablaze,  and  the  flames 
are  breaking  out  in  all  directions. 

Free  Trade  Hall,  within  whose  walls  scenes  of  no  common 
interest  and  excitement  have  often  been  witnessed,  presented  a 
spectacle  such  as  those  who  beheld  it  will  not  easily  forget.  Dr. 
McKerrow  assured  me  that  he  had  seen  no  such  sight,  even  in 
the  most  excited  political  times,  during  the  forty-seven  years  of 
his  life  in  Manchester,  as  that  which  he  saw  there  on  Sunday 
afternoon. 

The  building  was  densely  crowded.  Not  an  inch  of  standing- 
room  was  unoccupied.  Long  before  the  appointed  hour,  hun- 
dreds found  it  impossible  to  gain  admission.  And  Mr.  Moody 
— in  what  terms  shall  I  describe  his  address  ?  Theological  critics 
might  have  said  there  was  nothing  in  it ;  but  only  eternity  will 
reveal  how  much  there  came  out  of  it,  I  should  not  be  surprised 
if  hundreds  of  conversions  should  result  from  that  single  mighty 
appeal.    Taking  for  his  text  the  first  question  addressed  to  them, 


482  MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN    GREAT    BRITAIN. 

"  Where  art  thou  ? "  he  bro'ight  it  home  to  the  bosom  of  every 
hearer  with  a  power  and  pathos  that  were  simply  irresistible. 
Having  referred  to  the  case  of  a  young  man  who  had  cried  out  in 
the  inquiry-room  on  Friday  night,  "Oh,  mother,  I  am  coming!  " 
the  young  man  himself  sprang  to  his  feet,  and  exclaimed  in  tones 
of  impassioned  earnestness,  "  That  was  me  !  "  The  effect  was 
electrical.  Not  an  eye  but  was  suffused  with  tears.  The  whole 
vast  assembly  was  impressed  with  a  profound  sense  of  the  pres- 
ence and  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

The  meeting  for  young  men  in  the  evening  was  equally  won- 
derful, no  fewer  than  seven t3^-one  having  remained  behind  as 
anxious  inquirers,  not  a  few  of  whom  went  home  rejoicing  in  the 
peace  of  God  that  passeth  understanding. 

There  is  only  one  sentiment,  I  feel  convinced,  in  the  hearts  of 
all  God's  children  in  this  vast  community  in  regard  to  this  great 
work,  and  that  is,  a  sentiment  of  devout  thankfulness  to  our 
heavenly  Father  that  He  has  sent  among  us  two  such  men,  full 
of  faith  and  power,  and  yet  eminent  for  humility  and  lowliness  of 
mind.  "The  Lord  hath  done  great  things  for  us,  whereof  we 
are  glad." 

The  meetings  of  December  11,  that  memorable  Lord's  day, 
gave  a  tone  of  solemnity  and  a  character  of  power  to  all  the  meet- 
ings of  the  week.  The  tide  rose  steadily  day  by  day,  until  it 
became  full,  overflowing  the  bank  in  all  directions — a  very  spring- 
tide of  blessing;  and  only  eternity  will  reveal  how  many  immor- 
tals are  now  launching  out  upon  its  waters  in  the  bark  of  a  simple 
trust  in  the  Son  of  God. 

The  evenings  of  Monday  and  Tuesday  in  the  Free  Trade  Hall 
will  long  be  remembered  by  the  thousands  who  were  present. 
Mr.  Moody  delivered  his  famous  discourses  on  Heaven.  Much 
as  we  have  read  and  heard  cf  the  fervor  and  unction  that  charac- 
terize them,  we  were  not  prepared  to  find  these  apostolic  qualities 
in  so  superlative  a  degree  rs  that  which  marked  them  on  this 
occasion.  The  second  was  especially  interesting  and  delightful, 
treating  as  it  did  of  the  society  and  the  treasure  of  heaven ;  and 
the  contrast  drawn  by  the  preacher  between  these  and  the  trea' 


THE    HARVEST    IN    ENGLAND.  483 

sures  and  society  of  this  world,  seemed  to  strike  the  minds  of  the 
vast  audience  with  all  the  force  of  a  revelation,  constraining  many 
a  heart,  doubtless,  to  resolve  to  seek  henceforward  "  the  things 
that  are  above."  The  appeal  with  which  it  closed,  for  power 
and  pathos,  exceeded,  in  our  judgment,  anything  that  he  himself 
has  uttered. 

And  then  the  discourse  on  Hell,  on  the  evening  of  Wednesday, 
coming  as  it  did  immediately  after  the  addresses  on  Heaven,  was 
certainly  one  of  the  most  solemn  and  impressive  utterances  that 
have  been  heard  within  those  walls.  Every  eye  was  riveted  on 
the  speaker.  The  projected  shadow  of  the  great  white  throne 
seemed  to  fall  and  rest  upon  every  countenance.  Even  the  fer- 
vent exclamations  in  which  some  of  our  friends  indulge  at  reli- 
gious meetings,  and  which  had  been  just  a  little  too  fervent  the 
night  previous,  were  hushed,  and  scarcely  a  sound  broke  the 
awful  stillness  with  which,  for  nearly  an  hour,  the  people  listened 
to  the  oft-repeated  charge,  like  so  many  claps  of  thunder,  "  Son, 
remember !  "  In  bygone  revivals  such  heart-smiting,  conscience- 
stirring,  soul-firing  words  as  those  which  poured  from  the  preach- 
er's lips  would  have  caused  hundreds  to  start  to  their  feet  and 
cry  out  with  frenzy,  "God  be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner  !  "  But  in 
harmony  with  the  prevailing  character  of  this  awakening,  the 
conviction  of  sin  produced  on  that  occasion  seemed  to  be  too 
deep  and  too  sacred  to  find  expression  in  mere  excited  exclama- 
tions or  physical  prostrations,  and  were  known  only  to  Him  who 
seeth  in  secret !  God  was  in  the  midst  of  us,  of  a  truth.  The 
Holy  Spirit  came,  as  of  old,  with  the  force  as  of  a  rushing  mighty 
wind,  and  filled  all  the  place  where  we  were  sitting.  The  powers 
of  the  world  to  come  were  brought  nigh  to  every  conscience  in  a 
manner  never  to  be  forgotten.  We  seemed  to  be  looking  across 
the  gulf  that  divides  time  from  eternity,  and  beholding  the  tor- 
ments of  the  self-destroyed  victims  of  a  broken  law  and  a  rejected 
gospel.  No  wonder  that  the  inquiry-room  was  full  that  night  of 
inquirers  of  the  most  anxious  description,  and  that  the  after-meet- 
ing, over  which  we  presided,  was  larger  and  more  earnest  than 
any  that  has  yet  taken  place.     Doubtless  the  heavens  blossomed 


484  MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    GREAT    BRITAIN. 

into  song  overhead,  and  the  angels  of  God  rejoiced  over  many 
souls  turning  from  sin  and  Satan  unto  the  living  God  ! 

On  Saturday  evening  the  Oxford  Hall  presented  a  spectacle 
which  those  who  witnessed  it  will  not  soon  forget.  In  response 
to  Mr.  Moody's  invitation,  some  3,000  persons,  professedly  Chris- 
tians, and  chiefly  young  men,  assembled  to  hear  him  counsel 
them  regarding  Christian  work.  The  heartiness  with  which  they 
ever  and  anon  broke  forth  into  song  before  he  made  his  appear- 
ance, and  the  manliness  with  which  they  sang,  especially  "  Dare 
to  be  a  Daniel,"  indicated  that  they  were  ready  to  receive  with 
gladness  the  word  of  command  from  the  lips  of  the  great  Organ- 
izer. He  spoke  briefly  but  effectively.  He  told  of  the  work  done 
by  the  young  converts  elsewhere,  especially  in  Glasgow,  in  con- 
nection with  the  evangelization  of  the  masses.  He  made  particr 
ular  reference  to  the  noble  army  of  volunteers  that  rose  to  their 
feet  in  that  city  when  the  appeal  was  made  to  them,  "  Who  will 
work  for  Jesus  ?  "  And  then,  when  he  made  the  same  appeal  to 
themselves,  calling  upon  all  who  were  ready  to  work  for  the  Mas- 
ter to  stand  up,  almost  the  entire  body  of  young  men — a  grand 
and  inspiring  sight — sprang  to  their  feet.  One  could  not  help 
exclaiming,  *' God  be  thanked!  there's  hope  for  our  city!  Man- 
chester, with  such  a  host,  may  yet  be  won  for  Christ ! "  By  a 
special  arrangement,  as  it  seemed,  of  Providence,  Mr.  Reginald 
Radcliffe  was  present,  and  immediately  put  before  them  a  definite 
plan  for  making  a  great  gospel  attack,  so  to  speak,  upon  the  city. 
He  suggested  that  an  ordinance  map  of  Manchester  should  be 
cut  into  small  squares,  each  representing  a  district,  and  that  two 
or  three  young  persons  should  undertake  to  carry  the  gospel,  in 
the  shape  of  a  tract  or  otherwise,  to  every  house,  great  and  small, 
within  that  district,  so  that  no  single  dwelling  should  be  omitted. 
The  plan  appeared  to  approve  itself  to  the  judgment  of  the 
meeting,  all  the  more  so  that  he  told  us  how  successfully  he  had 
carried  out  a  similar  one  in  Edinburgh  and  Liverpool  in  years 
gone  by.     The  Lord  grant  it  abundant  success  ! 

The  workers'  meeting  was   the   largest  since   Messrs.  Moody 
and  Sankey  came  to  Manchester.     The  address  was  most  power- 


THE    HARVEST    IN    ENGLAND.  485 

ful.  A  forcible  appeal  was  made  to  Sabbath-school  teachers  in 
this  city ;  but  one  conviction  seemed  to  exist  in  the  minds  of  the 
vast  audience  of  5,000,  "  Let  us  arise  and  work." 

Had  Mr.  Moody  come  to  deliver  only  this  address,  his  mission 
had  not  been  in  vain.  In  the  afternoon  from  15,000  to  17,000 
struggled  for  admission.  Various  meetings  had  to  be  held  in  the 
Free  Trade  Hall,  Oxford  Hall,  and  Cavendish  Chapel ;  all 
crowded  as  they  never  have  been  before.  As  many  more  halls 
of  the  same  size  could  have  been  filled.  From  twenty  to  thirty 
meetings  were  held  in  the  streets  of  the  neighborhood,  where 
addresses  were  delivered  by  ministers  and  laymen.  At  every 
meeting  the  Lord  was  present  to  heal.  Anxious  inquirers  were 
very  numerous.     Great  numbers  professed  to  find  the  Saviour. 

The  meeting  for  3'oung  men  in  Oxford  Flail,  at  eight,  was  also 
crowded  to  excess,  hundreds  being  unable  to  obtain  admission. 
Mr.  Moody  spoke  as  if  tongues  of  fire  hovered  over  his  head. 

The  spiritual  movement  in  this  city  is  now  a  fact — a  solemn 
but  joyful  fact — which  must  be  observed  even  by  those  who  take 
their  stand  outside  as  mere  spectators,  with  marvel ;  and,  indeed, 
skeptics  marvel. 

"  It  is  a  most  strange  phenomenon,"  said  one  to  me,  who  is  a 
clever  journalist,  "to  see  such  multitudes  brought  together  by 
mere  curiosity,  and  this  curiosity  increasing  day  by  da}^,  when 
there  is  nothing  to  be  seen  or  heard  that  is  fitted  to  excite  curi- 
osity." So  it  is.  A  striking  feature  of  these  meetings  is  the 
absence  of  all  excitement.  The  thousands  who  usually  flock  to 
our  hall,  when  once  seated,  are  impressively  still ;  it  is  a  grand, 
encouraging  sight  to  watch  this  sea  of  human  faces  eagerly  wait- 
ing for  the  word  of  life.  Mr.  Moody  puts  no  effort  forward  to 
attract ;  he  stands  before  his  audience  quiet ;  he  never  introduces 
himself;  you  see  at  once  he  wants  3'ou  to  listen  to  his  message. 
His  vv'ords  are  m.ost  simple  and  earnest ;  there  is  nothing  elabo- 
rate, or  strange,  or  new,  not  even  his  illustrations.  But  as  his 
words  fall  from  his  lips,  hearts  are  moved.  If  you  watch  the 
audience  you  can  see  faces  changing  expression ;  you  can  read 
there  shame,  contrition,  confession,  hope,  faith,  peace — as  the 


486  MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    GREAT    BRITAIN. 

case  may  be.  The  truth  comes  home  !  There  is  power !  No 
man  could  do  it !     It  is  God's  power  !     It  is  the  Lord's  doing ! 

Christians  have  been  drawn  together  as  we'  have  not  known 
here  before;  and  though  there  remains  yet  much  that  is  to  be 
desired,  still  we  are  encouraged  and  hope  for  greater  things  ;  we 
know  that  we  cannot  make  unity  by  arrangements  and  efforts ; 
the  Lord's  laborers  have  learned  to  realize  more  than  ever  that 
the  work  is  God's,  not  ours ;  that  He  works  mightily  with  His 
power,  if  we  do  not  hinder,  and  are  willing,  as  Mr.  Moody  puts  it, 
to  be  simple  channels,  just  as  those  dusty,  rusty,  crooked-looking 
gas-pipes.  And  many  who  have  been  hitherto  too  ignorant 
or  indifferent,  or  too  cowardly  to  work,  have  now  come  forward 
and  said,  "  Here  am  I ;  send  me." 

A  dear  friend  from  Liverpool,  who  is  almost  daily  with  us,  has 
used  the  opportunity  and  organized  a  scheme  by  which  every 
house  in  this  city  shall  be  visited.  I  will  only  add,  that  hundreds 
of  our  visitors  are  already  busy  visiting  and  speaking  and  singing 
in  the  sick  chambers  of  isolated  sufferers,  in  the  desolate  homes 
of  the  godless,  of  Him  who  came  to  seek  and  to  save  that  which 
was  lost.     The  reports  of  the  visitors  are  most  cheering. 

The  noon  prayer-meeting  in  the  Free  Trade  Hall  has  steadily 
kept  up  its  numbers.  The  large  proportion  of  men  who  find  time 
in  this  commercial  centre  to  consecrate  an  hour  to  prayer  at  mid- 
day, is  a  striking  feature  of  the  meeting.  The  first  twenty  minutes 
are  generally  spent  in  reading  the  requests  for  prayer,  and  pre- 
senting them  in  silent  and  audible  supplication  to  God  ;  a  large 
proportion  of  these  requests  bear  upon  intemperance.  This 
noon  gathering  affords  an  opportunity  for  Christian  workers 
from  all  parts  to  give  tidings  of  the  progress  of  the  work  of  God. 
The  other  day  Mr.  Moody  read  a  telegram  from  the  venerable 
Mr.  Somerville,  who  has  gone  on  an  evangelistic  mission  to  Cal- 
cutta, reporting  the  conversion  of  thirty-one  persons  at  a  special 
service  held  by  him  in  the  theatre  there  on  the  previous  evening. 
Last  Monday,  the  Rev.  G.  Stuart,  of  Glasgow,  told  how  solidly 
the  work  is  continuing  in  that  town,  and  how  it  is  in  contempla- 
tion  to   purchase  Ewing   Place  Church  for  ;f  20,000,  for  evan- 


THE    HARVEST    IN    ENGLAND.  487 

gellstic  purposes,  growing  out  of  Messrs.  Moody  and  Sankey's 
labors.  He  also  related  several  remarkable  instances  of  answers 
to  the  prayers  offered  at  the  Glasgow  noon  prayer-meeting.  On 
Tuesday,  the  Rev.  A.  McLaren  followed  up  Mr.  Moody's  address 
by  a  brief  and  telling  speech,  in  the  course  of  which  he  strongly 
urged  prayer  for  the  consolidation  of  the  growing  union  now 
observable  among  the  churches  of  Manchester. 

The  meetings  for  Christian  workers  in  the  Free  Trade  Hall 
on  Sunday  mornings  at  eight  o'clock,  have  imparted  a  great 
stimulus  to  Christian  labor.  Never  shall  we  forget  Mr.  Moody's 
address  on  "  Daniel !  "  last  Sunday  morning.  The  hall  was 
crowded  to  excess ;  between  5,000  and  6,000  persons  brought 
together  at  that  early  hour,  in  the  depth  of  winter,  testifies  to  the 
power  with  which  the  awakening  has  laid  hold  of  the  city.  The 
character  of  Daniel  was  exhibited  with  graphic  skill ;  the  varied 
scenes  of  the  first  six  chapters  of  the  book  were  vividly  portrayed  ; 
every  actor  in  the  story  became  instinct  with  life  and  humor,  and 
the  lessons  were  rapidly  and  sharply  drawn  in  a  way  not  likely  to 
be  forgotten.  The  scene  of  Belshazzar's  feast  was  powerfully 
sketched  ;  and  while  Daniel  read  out  the  mysterious  writing  on 
the  wall — read  it  easily,  for  it  was  "  his  Father's  handwriting  " — 
the  breathless  silence  which  fell  upon  the  vast  throng  in  the  hall 
told  with  what  reality  the  scene  was  presented  before  them.  The 
whole  story  involved  a  running  satire  upon  the  yielding  temper 
of  the  present  day ;  and  the  address  constituted  a  powerful 
appeal  to  young  men  which  we  have  never  known  surpassed.  At 
the  close  Mr.  Sankey  sung  "  Standing  by  a  purpose  true,"  and 
the  audience  joined  with  unmistakable  enthusiasm  in  the  chorus, 
*'Dare  to  be  a  Daniel." 

The  gospel-meetings  on  Sunday  afternoons  and  week  even- 
ings are  still  as  thronged  as  ever.  The  numbers  at  the  inquiry- 
meetings  increase ;  many  have  been  led  to  the  Saviour.  So 
permeated  with  Bible  truth  is  the  teaching  given  in  Mr.  Moody's 
addresses,  that  inquirers  perceive  the  way  of  salvation  Avith 
unusual  quickness ;  Christ  is  presented  to  them,  and  they  simply 
and  immediately  close  with  Him.     Last  Sunday  afternoon  Mr. 


488  MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    GREAT    BRITAIN. 

Moody  addressed  the  great  assembly  in  the  Free  Trade  Hall,  from 
the  seven  following  "  Beholds  ":  "  Behold,  I  was  shapen  in  iniqui- 
ty ";  "Behold,  I  bring  you  good  tidings  of  great  joy";  "Behold 
the  Lamb  of  God  ";  "  Behold,  now  is  the  accepted  time  ";  "  Be- 
hold, now  is  the  day  of  salvation  ";  "Behold,  I  stand  at  the  door 
and  knock";  "Behold,  he  prayeth."  It  was  an  address  of 
thrilling  solemnity.  The  crowded  meeting  which,  at  the  time, 
filled  the  Oxford  Hall,  was  addressed  by  the  Rev.  J.  Rawlinson 
and  W.  Hubbard.  It  may  interest  readers  to  learn  that  a  band 
of  workers  has  been  organized  to  visit  every  house  in  Manchester 
and  Salford,  with  a  card  bearing  on  one  side  the  hymn,  "Jesus 
of  Nazareth  passeth  by,"  and  on  the  other  the  following  address 
by  Mr.  Moody:  "'Behold,  I  stand  at  the  door  and  knock:  if  any 
man  hear  my  voice  and  open  the  door,  I  will  come  in  to  him,  and 
sup  with  him,  and  he  with  me '  (Rev.  iii.  20).  A  woman  in  Glas- 
gow got  into  difficulties.  Her  rent  was  due,  but  she  had  no 
money  for  the  landlord,  and  she  knew  very  w^ell  that  he  would  turn 
her  out  if  she  did  not  satisfy  his  claim.  In  despair  she  knew  not 
what  to  do.  A  Christian  man  heard  of  her  distress,  and  came  to 
her  door  with  money  to  help  her.  He  knocked,  but  although  he 
thought  he  could  hear  some  one  inside,  yet  the  door  was  not 
opened.  He  knocked  again,  but  still  there  was  no  response. 
The  third  time  he  knocked,  but  that  door  still  remained  locked 
and  barred  against  him  ! 

"  Some  time  after  he  met  this  woman  in  the  streets,  and  told 
her  how  he  had  gone  to  her  house  to  pay  her  rent,  but  could  not 
get  in.  'Oh,  sir!'  she  exclaimed,  'was  that  you?  Why,  I 
thought  it  was  the  landlord,  and  I  was  afraid  to  open  the  door.' 

"Dear  friends  !  Christ  is  knocking  at  the  door  of  your  heart. 
He  has  knocked  many  times  already,  and  now  He  knocks  again 
by  this  message.  He  is  your  best  Friend,  although,  like  that 
woman,  perhaps  you  think  He  comes  with  the  stern  voice  of 
justice  to  demand  from  you  the  payment  of  your  great  sin-debt. 
If  so,  you  are  sadly  mistaken.  He  comes  not  to  demand,  but  to 
give  I  'The  gift  of  God  is  eternal  life.'  He  knows  you  can  never 
pay  the  great  debt  you  owe  to  God.     He  knows  that  if  that  debt 


THE  HARVEST  IN  ENGLAND.  489 

is  not  paid  for  you,  you  are  forever  lost !  He  loves  you,  though 
He  hates  you^sins;  and  in  order  that  3^ou  might  be  saved,  He 
laid  down  His  life  a  sacrifice  for  the  guilty.  And  now  He  comes  ! 
bringing  the  gift  of  salvation  to  the  door  of  your  hearts.  Wiil you 
receive  t lie  gift  ^  D.  L.  Moody." 

It  has  been  resolved  to  purchase  the  museum  in  Peter  Street 
for  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association,  for  $150,000,  which 
has  been  raised.  The  building  will  then  become  the  home  of  the 
noon  prayer-meeting,  and  the  centre  of  the  united  Christian  effort 
which  now  appears  to  be  fairly  inaugurated  in  Manchester. 

A  few  yards  from  the  Free  Trade  Hall,  on  the  same  side  of  the 
street,  stands  a  clingy-looking  old  public  building.  It  was  for- 
merly used  as  a  natural-history  museum,  but  since  the  erection 
•of  the  magnificent  Owen's  College,  and  the  consequent  trans- 
ference of  its  contents,  the  old  museum  has  been  unused.  The 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association  have  long  been  looking  for 
some  suitable  building  as  a  centre  for  their  operations  in  this 
important  cit}^,  with  its  70,000  young  men ;  and  now  the  neces- 
sity is  felt  for  a  place  to  carry  on  the  daily  pra5'er-meeting,  and 
other  united  evangelistic  efforts,  after  Messrs.  Moody  and  Sankey 
have  left;  so  it  has  been  decided  to  purchase  the  old  museum 
building,  and  use  it  for  these  purposes.  It  was  secured  accord- 
ingly on  Monday  last ;  and  in  a  couple  of  days,  part  of  the  build- 
ing, giving  accommodation  to  about  500  persons,  was  seated, 
lighted  with  gas,  and  heated  ;  so  that  on  Wednesday  night  Mr. 
Moody  used  it  as  an  inquiry-room,  after  the  meeting  in  the 
Free  Trade  Hall,  and  we  had  the  joy  of  seeing  it  full  of  anxious 
souls.  This  was  a  blessed  consecration  of  the  building  for  a 
higher  and  nobler  object  than  ever  it  had  been  used  for  before. 

The  scheme  for  the  visitation  of  every  house  in  Manchester  is 
working  well,  and  with  the  happiest  results.  The  following  is 
the  plan  adopted :  A  Christian  architect,  who  has  entered  most 
heartily  into  this  service,  has  cut  up  the  large  scale  Ordinance 
Map  of  Manchester  into  about  fifty  districts,  each  of  which  is 
under  the  charge  of  a  superintendent,  who  is   supplied  with  a 


490  MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    GREAT    BRITAIN. 

sufficient  number  of  visitors  to  reach  every  house  within  the  Hmits 
of  his  district.  A  leaflet  containing  the  hymn  "Jesus  of  Nazareth 
passeth  by,"  and  a  short  address  by  Mr.  Moody  is  left  at  each 
house  ;  but  it  is  understood  by  the  visitors  that  this  paper  is  only  to 
be  used  as  an  introduction^  for  the  purpose  of  gaining  admission 
to  the  houses,  so  as  to  have  personal  conversation  about  eternal 
things  with  each  individual,  as  far  as  possible.  Some  of  the  visitors 
have  already  given  in  most  cheering  reports  of  the  marvelous 
way  in  which  the  hearts  of  the  people  seemed  open  to  receive 
their  visits,  showing  that  the  Lord  is  in  this  movement,  and  is 
preparing  many  hearts  for  the  reception  of  His  own  blessed 
message  of  salvation. 

The  meetings  came  to  an  end  the  last  day  of  1874.  They  have 
been  blessed  to  vast  numbers.  In  the  inquiry-room,  I  have 
met  with  many  who  stated  that  they  had  never  had  the  way  of^ 
salvation  so  plainly  put  before  them  as  by  Mr.  Moody.  In  not  a 
few  instances,  too,  Mr.  Sankey's  beautiful  and  touching  solos, 
especially  "Jesus  of  Nazareth  passeth  by,"  "Almost  persuaded," 
and  "Prodigal  child,"  have  proved  to  be  arrows  of  conviction, 
entering  the  heart  in  the  most  unexpected  manner,  and  leading 
to  conversion.  And  what  shall  I  more  say?  for  the  time  would 
fail  me  to  tell  of  all  the  blessed  fruits,  already  apparent,  of  the 
extraordinary  efforts  of  these  dear  men  of  God.  Suffice  it  to 
say,  in  a  sentence,  that  all  classes  of  the  community — old  and 
young,  rich  and  poor,  learned  and  ignorant,  ministers  and 
laymen,  masters  and  servants,  teachers  and  scholars — have 
received  a  large  blessing  from  the  religious  services  conducted 
by  the  American  brethren,  and  are  deeply  sensible,  I  trust,  of 
the  mighty  debt  of  gratitude  under  which  they  have  been  laid. 
The  Lord  bless  them,  and  make  them  blessings,  wherever  they 
go! 

The  closing  week  has  been  the  most  joyful  of  all.  The  tide 
of  blessing,  which  has  been  steadily  rising,  has  this  week  reached 
its  flood ;  the  earnestness  of  the  preacher  and  the  eagerness 
of  the  people  have  seemed  alike  to  intensify,  and  the  uncon- 
verted have  been  called  to  take  refuge  in  Christ  with  a  vehemence 


THE    HARVEST    IN    ENGLAND. 


49  r 


of  entreaty  which  has  exerted  a  rr;ighty  influence  on  the  assem- 
blies. During  these  five  weeks  God  has  answered  the  prayers 
of  many  years,  and  we  cannot  but  feel  that  what  has  been  going 
on  in  the  city  has  made  Manchester  pecuHarly  interesting  to  the 
dwellers  in  heaven. 

At  nine  on  Wednesday  evening,  about  2,000  men  reassembled 
in  the  hall,  to  hear  what  Mr.  Moody  had  to  say  on  the  subject  of 
the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association.  Mr.  Herbert  Spencer 
occupied  the  chair,  and  gave  a  brief  address,  intimating  that  it 
was  in  contemplation  to  buy  the  Museum  for  the  Young  Men's 
Christian  Association,  for  ;^3o,ooo.  Mr.  Moody  delivered  an 
inspiriting  address,  in  which  he  enlarged  on  the  spiritual  advan- 
tages of  the  Association,  and  urged  the  straining  of  every  effort 
to  reach  the  young  men  of  Manchester,  and  to  secure  the  build- 
ing in  question  for  the  Association.  A  collection  toward  the 
object,  made  at  the  close,  realized  $9,000,  $5,000  of  which  was 
given,  I  believe,  by  the  chairman.  This  amount,  with  what  has 
been  received  before,  including  $2,500  given  last  week  by  Mr.  J. 
Stuart,  makes  a  total,  at  present  received  or  promised,  of  $40,000. 

On  Thursday  morning,  Mr.  Moody  addressed  a  crowded  meet- 
ing in  the  Higher  Broughton  Presbyterian  Church,  and  then  came 
on  to  the  noon  prayer-meeting  in  the  Oxford  Hall,  where  he  read 
and  commented  on  the  earlier  part  of  the  103d  Psalm.  He  said 
he  had  to  bless  the  Lord  for  wiiat  He  had  done  for  him.  It  had 
been  the  best  year  of  his  life.  He  had  been  more  used  by  God 
than  in  all  the  seventeen  preceding  years.  He  did  not  know  of 
one  sermon  he  had  delivered  that  had  not  been  blessed  to  the 
conviction  or  conversion  of  some  souls.  It  was  a  delightful 
meeting.  Every  word  uttered  was  set  to  the  tune  of  "Bless  the 
Lord,  O  my  soul!  "  When  one  minister  rose  to  say,  "I  have  to 
praise  God  for  the  conversion  of  the  brother  of  dear  friends  of 
mine,  who  have  prayed  for  him  twenty-five  years  ;  for  the  con- 
version of  the  sister  and  of  the  serv.-^.nt  of  another  friend  ;  for  the 
salvation  of  three  persons  in  my  own  congregation,  for  the  dis- 
pelling of  the  doubts  of  a  young  man  who  had  traveled  150  miles 
to  these  meetings — all  which  blessings  have  been  given  in  the 


492  MOODY   AND   SANKEY    IN   GREAT   BRITAIN. 

course  of  the  present  week  ";  when  another  minister  rose  to  say 
he  had  never  met  with  so  much  scriptural  teaching  concerning 
the  way  of  salvation,  and  the  clear  direction  of  inquirers  to  Jesus, 
as  in  Mr.  Moody's  addresses ;  and  another  to  say  that  the  last 
ten  days  had  been  the  happiest  of  his  life — that  he  had  derived 
an  inspiration,  had  discovered  how  to  preach  Christ,  had  enjoyed 
sweeter  communion  with  Jesus,  and  felt  like  a  man  whose  chains 
were  broken — they  only  uttered  what  many  could  have  endorsed 
as  a  description  of  the  blessings  they  themselves  had  received. 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

Times  of  Blessing  in  Sheffield. 

This  city  of  a  quarter  of  a  million  is  noted  for  its  workers  in 
iron  and  steel.  Hearts  hard  as  adamant  were  now  to  be  assailed 
by  sermon  and  song,  and  God  honored  the  men  who  honored 
His  gracious  truth.  At  nine  in  the  evening  of  December  31, 
1874,  the  evangelists  first  appeared  before  a  Sheffield  audience, 
and  for  two  weeks  the  power  of  God  was  manifested  through  them 
in  the  most  delightful  manner. 

The  work  opened  here  most  auspiciously ;  the  two  meetings 
held  on  New  Year's  eve  were  crowded,  and  the  impressions  pro- 
duced were  most  solemn. 

The  first  meeting  was  held  in  the  Temperance  Hall  at  nine 
o'clock.  Mr.  Sankey  sang  a  new  hymn  written  by  Dr.  H.  Bonar 
expressly  for  him,  "  Rejoice,  and  be  glad !  the  Redeemer  has 
come." 

The  impression  produced  by  his  singing  was  very  striking; 
those  who  had  been  merely  curious  or  altogether  indifferent 
seemed  attracted,  and  earnest  attention  and  even,  in  some  cases, 
silent  weeping,  took  the  place  of  carelessness.  The  watch-night 
service  was  particularly  solemn.  The  Albert  Hall,  where  it  was 
held,  was  crowded,  many  having  stood  before  the  doors  an  hour 
before  they  were  opened,  in  order  to  make  sure  of  admittance. 

Messrs.  Moody  and  Sankey  were  accompanied  on  to  the  plat- 
form by  a  large  number  of  ministers  of  all  denominations.  The 
vicar  offered  up  a  fervent  prayer  for  the  Divine  blessing  on  the 
work  in  Sheffield. 


494  MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    GREAT    BRITAIN. 

One  most  interesting  feature  in  this  service  was  Mr.  Sankey's 
singing  of  "Jesus  of  Nazareth  passeth  by."  It  might  be  the  nov- 
elty of  his  style,  or  the  associations  naturally  arising  at  the  near 
approach  of  the  new  year,  but  I  certainly  have  never  seen  such 
an  effect  produced.  I  have  heard  him  in  all  the  towns  they  have 
visited  in  Scotland,  and  also  in  Manchester ;  but  I  never  heard 
him  sing  so  pathetically,  more  especially  in  the  last  stanzas  : 

"  Too  late  !   too  late  !   will  be  the  cry, 
Jesus  of  Nazareth  has  passed  by." 

Mr.  Moody  spoke  from  Luke  xix.  lo,  "For  the  Son  of  man  is 
come  to  seek  and  to  save  that  which  was  lost."  As  illustrating 
this  verse,  he  graphically  narrated  the  two  stories  immediately 
preceding  his  text,  that  of  the  opening  of  the  eyes  of  blind  Bar- 
timeus,  and  the  conversion  of  Zaccheus.  It  was  only  a  re-telling 
of  the  stories,  but  given  in  that  way  peculiarly  Mr.  Moody's  own, 
making  his  listeners  part  and  parcel  of  the  story,  as  if  the  whole 
thing  were  enacted  just  in  the  Targate,  and  Jesus  were  just  pass- 
ing the  hall-doors.  He  connected  the  two  stories  by  throwing 
out  the  thought  that  as  Bartimeus  was  on  his  way  home  to  tell 
his  wife,  Zaccheus  met  him.  "Why,  isn't  that  the  poor  blind 
beggar?  it's  like  him ;  but  it  can't  be  he,  for  his  eyes  are  open." 

"Yes,  it  is  I." 

"What  has  made  your  eyes  open  ?" 

"  Jesus  of  Nazareth  did  it." 

"Where  is  He?     I  must  see  Him." 

"He's  just  on  the  road  to  Jericho." 

Away  Zaccheus  runs  ;  and  because  he  is  a  little  man,  he  gets 
up  a  tree,  to  see  well.  Jesus  stops,  looks  up,  calls  him,  "Zac- 
cheus, come  down."  This  was  one  instance  of  sudden  conver- 
sion. Some  don't  believe  in  sudden  conversion ;  but  here  Zac- 
cheus was  not  converted  when  he  went  up  the  tree,  yet  he  came 
down  a  converted  man.  We  are  told  h-e  received  Jesus  gladly. 
From  these  incidents,  he  proved  how  willing,  how  eager  Christ 
is  to  save  all.  What  have  we  to  do  ?  Nothing,  blessed  be  God  i 
If  we  had,  we  would  never  do  it.  Only  accept.  What  had  Zac- 
cheus to  do  ?     Only  come  down,  only  obey. 


TIMES    OF    BLESSING    IN    SHEFFIELD.  495 

He  concluded  by  drawing  the  attention  of  the  audience  to  the 
fact  that  the  old  year  was  fast  dying—only  a  few  minutes — and 
what  if  the  new  year  should  come  and  find  us  where  we  were — 
lost !  Oh,  let  each  of  us  take  it,  the  offer  is  here;  will  you  have 
it?  Salvation — ay,  even  before  this  year  is  closed  you  maybe 
saved.  As  there  are  only  a  few  minutes  of  this  year  remaining, 
let  us  finish  the  old  and  begin  the  new  on  our  knees. 

The  whole  audience  then  sank  on  their  knees,  and  the  new 
year  found  them  bent  in  silent  prayer.  Mr.  Moody  asked  that 
those  who  were  unsaved  might  stand  up,  that  they  might  be 
prayed  for.  For  a  time  none  were  willing  to  do  so,  but  on  Mr. 
Moody's  asking  a  second  time  "if  there  were  none  in  the  hall 
wishing  salvation,"  a  few  stood  up,  and  the  Christians  were  asked 
to  pray  for  them. 

Just  then  the  bells  began  to  ring  in  the  new  year,  and  the  Rev. 
R.  Green  engaged  in  prayer  for  an  outpouring  of  the  Holy  Ghost 
on  the  town  of  Sheffield,  and  most  particularly  on  the  special 
meetings  to  be  held.  Mr.  Moody  also  engaged  in  prayer.  This 
was  one  of  the  most  solemn  scenes  I  have  ever  been  privileged 
to  witness.  While  the  audience  were  bent  in  prayer  the  most 
intense  stillness  prevailed,  broken  only  by  an  occasional  sob. 
After  singing  the  Doxology,  the  meeting  separated. 

The  streets  were  made  lively  after  the  meeting  with  vigorous 
singing  of  hymns,  as  bands  of  Christians  wended  their  way  home. 

Sunday  was  a  day  of  blessing  for  Sheffield.  The  meetings  were 
attended  with  most  blessed  results. 

The  morning  meeting  for  Christian  workers  was  not,  perhaps, 
so  well  attended  in  point  of  numbers  as  might  have  been  expected, 
but  the  Christians  who  had  come  out  at  this  early  hour  were  right- 
down  hearty  workers.  As  Mr.  Moody  said,  "  He  would  rather 
have  a  moderately  small  meeting  of  such  earnest  Christians  than 
have  it  packed  with  thousands  of  careless  people." 

At  the  afternoon  meeting,  the  Albert  Hall  was  densely  packed 
half  an  hour  before  the  time;  the  lower  Albert  Hall  was  thrown 
open  for  the  overflow,  but  even  then  many  had  to  go  away  disap- 
pointed. 


4^6  MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN    GREAT    BRITAIN. 

Mr.  Moody  addressed  this  large  gathering  from  Rom.  ii.  23 : 
"For  there  is  no  difference.'' 

Many  were  evidently  struck  to  the  heart;  some  whom  we 
heard  scoffing  at  the  commencement,  were  in  tears  at  the  conclu- 
sion of  his  address. 

When  Mr.  Sankey  followed  by  singing  "  Free  from  the  law,  O 
happy  condition  1  "  it  seemed  to  produce  a  deep  impression. 

The  Sunday  evening  meeting  was  glorious.  The  hall  was 
again  densely  packed.  Mr.  Sankey  sang  his  solo,  "  There  were 
ninety  and  nine."  Mr.  Moody  then  gave  his  address  on  "  Re- 
generation," from  the  words,  "Ye  must  be  born  again."  The 
result  of  the  whole  proceedings  in  Sheffield  since  the  coming  of 
our  dear  brethren  miist  be  considered  highly  satisfactory,  and  as 
affording  great  cause  for  thankfulness. 

Mr.  Moody  spoke  no  less  than  four  times  on  Friday,  on  each 
occasion  with  much  power,  and  with  signs  following.  It  need 
scarcely  be  added  that  Mr.  Sankey's  solos,  including  such  favor- 
ites as  "  Only  an  armor-bearer,"  "  Dare  to  be  a  Daniel,"  "  Whiter 
than  snow,"  etc.,  deepened  the  influences  produced  by  Mr. 
Moody's  impassioned  discourses.  Indeed,  it  is  made  more  and 
more  manifest  that  the  special  gifts  of  each  evangelist  have  been 
most  happily  wedded  together  for  the  common  purpose  they  have 
in  view. 

At  the  closing  service  in  the  evening  there  was  no  diminution 
either  in  the  attendance  or  the  interest.  It  was  chiefly  intended 
for  the  young  converts,  who  were  admitted  by  ticket,  and  crowded 
a  large  part  of  the  area  of  the  Albert  Hall.  Both  the  galleries 
were  also  crammed  long  before  the  hour  of  commencing.  It  was 
a  glorious  and  inspiring  sight  to  look  on  such  a  vast  sea  of  human 
faces,  all  lit  up  with  eager  expectation,  and  all  assembled  to  hear 
the  simple  story  of  the  Saviour's  grace  and  power.  The  scene 
was  more  impressive  still  when,  at  the  appointed  hour,  Mr. 
Moody  and  Mr.  Sankey  having  quietly  crossed  the  front  of  the 
platform,  and  taken  their  seats,  the  whole  assembly  rose  and 
joined  in  singing  the  hymn, 

"  Ring  the  bells  of  heaven,  there  is  joy  to-day, 
For  a  soul  returning  from  the  wild." 


TIMES    OF    BLESSING    IN    SHEFFIELD.  497 

And  afterward,  in  that  jubilant  old  hymn  that  used  to  be  sung  at 
revival  meetings  fifteen  years  ago,  and  is  ever  fresh  and  new : 

"O  happy  day!   that  fixed  my  choice 
On  Thee,  my  Saviour  and  my  God  ; 
Well  may  this  glowing  heart  rejoice, 
And  tell  its  raptures  all  abroad." 

After  Mr.  Sankey  had  sung  "  Whiter  than  snow,"  Mr.  Moody 
spoke  with  his  accustomed  pungency,  simplicity,  and  power, 
chiefly  addressing  the  young  converts.  Surely  they  will  never  be 
able  to  forget  his  words  of  affectionate  encouragement  and  cau- 
tion, as  he  pointed  out  the  dangers  that  would  inevitably  come  to 
them  in  their  Christian  life,  and  the  unfailing  source  of  strength 
amidst  them  all.  Then  came  his  parting  words,  evidently  painful 
alike  to  speaker  and  hearers.  "I  have  learned  to  love  you,"  said 
Mr.  Moody;  and  the  earnest  gaze  and  tearful  eyes  before  him 
testified,  more  loudly  than  words,  how  his  love  was  reciprocated, 
and  his  labors  and  counsels  prized.  I  was  forcibly  reminded  of 
the  scene  of  Paul's  farewell  meeting  with  the  elders  at  Miletum. 
I  verily  believe  that  many  hundreds  of  young  converts  would,  one 
and  all,  have  fallen  on  Mr.  Moody's  neck,  and  kissed  him,  sorrow- 
ing most  of  all  for  the  words  which  he  spake,  that  they  should  see 
his  face  no  more.  One  little  fellow,  at  the  close  of  the  meeting, 
came  to  me  in  great  distress  when  he  found  that  Mr.  Moody  had 
left  without  having  given  him  a  shake  of  his  hand. 

Before  the  meeting  was  dismissed,  Mr.  Sankey  sang  a  parting 
hymn  to  the  tenderly  pathetic  tune  of  "  Home,  sweet  home,"  and 
the  vast  crowd  lingered  long  in  the  hall  where  Christ  had  won  so 
many  sons  and  daughters  within  the  past  two  weeks. 

The  work  among  the  young  men  has  been  taking  root  during 
the  week.  It  has  been  a  "  Happy  New  Year  "  for  Sheffield,  and 
the  faith  of  the  Lord's  people  prompts  them  to  hope  that  ''still 
there's  more  to  follov/." 

Upward  of  eighty — clergymen  of  all  the  evangelical  denomina- 
tions in  the  town,  and  the  other  members  of  the  committee  —met 
Messrs.  Moody  and  Sankey  at  breakfast  in  the  Imperial  Hotel, 
on  Saturday  morning,  to  bid  them  farewell.     Reporters  were  ex- 


49^  MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    GREAT    BRITAIN. 

eluded,  but  I  understand  that  the  unanimous  expression  of  the 
company  was  one  of  gratitude  to  the  evangelists  for  their  untiring 
and  successful  labors  in  Sheffield,  and  for  the  spirit  of  cordial  co- 
operation among  the  various  divisions  of  the  Church  that  their 
visit  had  so  blessedly  generated.  Practical  as  he  always  is,  Mr. 
Moody  used  the  occasion  to  urge  upon  the  committee  the  neces- 
sity of  rearing  a  central  and  suitable  building  in  the  town,  where 
all  those  interested  in  the  continued  success  of  the  work  could 
meet  on  neutral  ground,  and  carry  on  the  meetings. 

In  summing  up  the  results,  and  giving  general  impressions  of 
the  value  of  these  special  services,  the  following  account  may  be 
found  useful : 

The  crowded  meetings,  thrice  repeated  every  day,  attended  by 
persons  who  set  aside  engagements,  alike  of  business,  work,  and 
pleasure,  have  been  accompanied  with  much  power  from  above. 
Sheffield  is  usually  considered  as  a  population  difficult  to  arouse, 
sturdy,  independent,  unimpressionable ;  like  the  metal  in  which 
we  work  in  these  parts,  true,  but  hard  as  steel.  Yet  the  place 
has  been  thoroughly  aroused,  and  proof  to  demonstration  given 
that  God  is  able  to  work  here,  as  in  Jerusalem  of  old,  and  as  in 
other  towns  of  England  now ;  thus  greatly  encouraging  Christian 
ministers  and  laborers  to  look  with  faith  for  greater  things.  All 
the  meetings  have  been  pervaded  by  a  sense  of  God's  nearness ; 
believers  have  been  filled  with  fresh  jo}',  and  fired  with  new  zeal ; 
the  anxious  have  found  soul-rest;  the  careless  have  been  aroused. 
In  fact,  we  have  had  at  once  a  revival  and  an  awakening — a  re- 
vival touching  the  hearts  of  God's  people,  and  an  awakening 
spreading  among  the  thoughtless.  The  influence  reached  its 
height  on  the  last  night  of  Mr.  Moody's  presence  in  the  town, 
when  he  addressed  specially  the  converts,  who  were  present  in 
goodly  numbers,  together  with  a  vast  crowd  of  Christian  workers. 
His  words  seemed  to  have  a  thrilling  power  among  us  all.  When 
he  closed  by  saying  that  he  did  not  like  "farewell,"  and  "good- 
bye "  was  almost  as  bad  ;  he  would  therefore  just  say  "  good- 
night," and  meet  us  in  the  morning  (pointing  to  the  skies),  I 
think  the  whole  audience  deeply  felt  how  much   our  beloved 


TIMES    OF    BLESSING    IN    SHEFFIELD.  499 

brother  had  endeared  himself  to  ns.  And  when  Mr.  Sankey  fol- 
lowed directly  with  his  touching  farewell  hymn,  so  appropriate  to 
such  an  occasion,  and  so  specially  addressing  every  class  of 
hearers,  many  w'ere  the  eyes  that  were  bathed  in  tears.  Had  it 
been  possible,  we  would  not  have  parted  with  our  brethren.  But 
may  the  Lord  go  with  them  in  other  places,  confirming  their  word 
with  signs  and  wonders,  as  He  has  done  here  ! 

The  verdict  of  almost  all  Christian  people  upon  this  movement 
is,  that  it  is  the  work  of  God.  I  am  convinced  that  such  an  esti- 
mate is  just,  on  many  grounds. 

1.  The  movement  was  an  answer  to  prayer.  Though  we  had 
not  waited  on  the  Lord  so  long  as  Christians  in  some  other  towns 
have  done,  a  weekly  united  prayer-meeting  had  been  maintained 
for  nearly  a  year  previously.  Many  of  God's  people  were  also 
quietly  sighing  and  crying  for  the  abominations  of  the  city,  and 
hungering  and  thirsting  for  spiritual  blessing.  One  feature  in  the 
prayers  previously  offered  was  very  noticeable.  While  all  were 
preparing  heartily  to  welcome  Messrs.  Moody  and  Sankey,  there 
was  a  thorough  recognition  in  the  supplications  that  not  they, 
but  their  God,  must  open  the  flood-gates  of  grace.  The  Spirit 
was  honored ;  and  we  have  had  the  answer. 

2.  Remarkable  unity  prevailed.  At  least  in  its  outward  mani- 
festation this  was  realized,  when  ministers  of  the  Established 
Church  and  those  of  the  Free  Churches  sat  together  on  the  same 
platform,  and  followed  each  other  in  prayer.  The  force  of  exhor- 
tation, backed  by  the  united  sympathy  and  supplications  of  the 
whole  Christian  Church,  is  multiplied  tenfold.  Doubtless  Chris- 
tian union  is  of  God.  When  will  it  genuinely  prevail  ?  Is  not 
the  attainment  of  it  worth  the  surrender  of  the  causes  of  division  ? 

3.  The  movement  had  a  growing  power.  Its  influence  at  first 
was  not  to  be  compared  with  what  it  became  in  its  progress.  In- 
deed, the  feeling  of  myself  and  of  others  with  whom  I  have  con- 
versed was  at  first  one  of  disappointment.  Both  Mr.  Moody's 
speaking  and  Mr.  Sankey's  singing  seemed  to  fall  short  of  what 
we  had  expected ;  but  it  was  not  long  before  the  impressiveness 
of  both  made  itself  felt  to  all.     To  my  mind,  this  is  a  true  test  of 


500  MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN    GREAT    BRITAIN. 

excellence.  A  picture,  a  piece  of  music,  a  landscape — do  they 
grow  upon  you  by  repetition  ?  The  work  of  these  evangelists  has 
grown  upon  us.  I  apprehend  it  would  have  been  the  other  way, 
had  it  not  been  of  God. 

4.  The  stillness  was  remarkable.  The  noise  and  confusion 
favorable  to  revivals  which  are  the  work  of  man  was  altogether 
absent.  The  quiet,  favorable  to  the  descent  and  operations  of 
the  Holy  Ghost,  was  marked.  A  man  of  my  acquaintance  once/ 
observed  that  "  anybody  could  get  up  a  revival,  if  he  only  made 
enough  noise."  There  was  nothing  of  that  kind  here.  Indeed, 
I  noticed  that  if  any  brother  threw  a  needless  physical  exertion 
into  his  entreaties,  Mr.  Moody  would  be  sure  to  say,  "  Let  us 
have  a  few  minutes'  silent  pra3'er  ; "  and  this  was  mostly  followed 
by  the  subduing  strains  of  Mr.  Sankey's  harmonium  and  voice. 
A  solemn  quiet  reigned  at  all  times,  and  even  Mr.  Moody's  hu- 
morous sayings  did  not  destroy  the  solemnity  of  it.  A  work  done 
under  conditions  such  as  these,  so  different  from  those  which 
have  prevailed  in  some  "revivals,"  commends  itself  to  me  as  the 
work  of  God.  There  are  many  things  that  I  might  touch  on ;  but 
only  one  thing  more  will  I  mention. 

5.  The  work  is  evidently  one  of  faith.  This  quality  is  very 
observable  in  Mr.  Mood}-.  He  has  faith — not  a  proud  self  confi- 
dence engendered  by  success,  but  a  humble  reliance  upon  God 
and  fearless  expectation  of  blessing. 

Letter  of  Mr.  Moody  to  the  Young  Converts. 

A  meeting  of  converts  was  held  on  the  evening  of  January  19, 
presided  over  by  the  Rev.  R.  Staunton. 

During  the  proceedings  the  chairman  read  the  following  letter ; 

"Birmingham,  yan.  19,  1875. 

"My  dear  Friends:  Mr.  Sankey  and  I  would  have  been  very 

glad  to  have  seen  you  all  once  more  to-night,  but  God  has  given 

us  work  in  another  corner  of  His  vineyard,  and  we  can  only  join 

you  in  well-wishes.     I  am  very  glad  now  to  have  this  opportunity 


TIMES    OF    BLESSING    IN    SHEFFIELD.  50I 

of  fulfilling  my  promise  to  send  you  a  short  message.  There  are 
many  things  I  should  like  to  say  if  I  had  the  time,  but  I  fear  I 
must  confine  myself  to  one  or  tv/o  very  plain  words.  Ever  since 
we  left  Sheffield,  every  one  of  us  will  have  changed  a  little.  Some 
will  be  merrier,  and  some  will  be  gloomier.  Some  will  be  fuller 
of  God's  love,  and  some  may  even  feel  a  little  emptier ;  others, 
again,  may  not  have  got  over  the  period  of  wonder,  and  still  find 
themselves  asking:  'And  can  it  really  all  be  true?  Is  it  not  just 
some  strange  dream  ?  Is  it  really  possible  that  God  loves  us, 
and  that  v/e  are  really  saved  for  evermore  ? '  And  this  is  my  only 
one  reply  to  these  very  common  and  rational  questions  :  We  are 
changed^  but  Christ  is  not.  Oh,  if  He  were  different,  it  would  be  a 
very,  very  serious  thing.  And  if  we  are  changed  and  are  fright- 
ened about  it,  we  must  find  out  at  once  if  He  is  changed  too.  If 
it  is  only  we  who  are  different,  it  does  not  matter  much,  because 
salvation  does  not  depend  upon  us,  but  upon  Him.  And  the 
Bible  tells  us  all  about  it  in  one  little  golden  sentence,  which  we 
must  all  ask  God  to  burn  into  our  hearts,  and  then  we  shall  never 
be  troubled  any  more  about  our  feelings.  In  Hebrews  xiii.  8, 
He  says,  '  Jesus  Christ,  the  same  3'esterday,  and  to-day,  and  for- 
ever.' Yes !  the  same ;  no  matter  how  changed  we  are,  no  mat- 
ter how  dull,  how  joyless.  He  is  just  as  He  was  yesterday,  just 
as  He  was  the  night  when  we  got  our  first  glimpse  of  His  dying 
love  for  us. 

"  Oh,  dear  friends,  let  us  keep  looking  to  Him,  and  as  we  look, 
God  will  give  us  the  longing  to  be  more  and  more  like  Him. 
Perhaps  some  of  you  already  feel  that  longing,  and  you  don't 
know  what  it  is  !  Perhaps  you  think  it  is  very  hard  to  have  this' 
craving  after  a  better  heart  and  a  holier  life.  But  Christ  says  it 
is  '  blessed.'  It  is  not  hard  ;  it  is  not  a  misfortune ;  it  is  not  a 
sign  that  the  health  of  the  soul  is  gone.  No  ;  appetite  is  not  the 
symptom  of  disease,  but  of  health.  And  the  Master  Himself  has 
told  us  that  it  is  blessed  to  be  hungry  and  thirsty  after  Him. 
And  some  of  you  may  be  mourning  over  your  empty  hearts,  for 
little  love  is  there ;  how  little  faith,  how  little  zeal  for  the  Mas- 
ter's service  !     Well,  it  is  not  hardship  to  feel  like  that.     If  it  be 


502  MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    GREAT    BRITAIN. 

real,  it  is  not  sad  to  be  that  wa}',  only  don't  mourn  over  it. 
Christ  says  it  is  '  blessed  ' — blessed  to  be  poor  in  spirit ;  and  the 
poorer,  and  weaker,  and  humbler  we  feel,  the  more  room  is  there 
for  Him  to  perfect  strength  in  our  weakness.  '  My  grace  is  suffi- 
cient for  thee  ;  my  strength  is  made  perfect  in  weakness ;  *  *  * 
for  when  I  am  weak,  then  am  I  strong.'  And  now,  dear  friends, 
before  closing,  let  me  ask  3'ou  all  to  do  something  for  Christ, 
something  this  very  week.  I  cannot  tell  you  what  to  do ;  but 
God  will  if  you  ask  Him.  He  has  something  for  everybody  to 
do ;  and  let  us  be  earnest  in  doing  our  best  for  Him,  and  let  us 
do  it  soon.  Death  will  be  upon  us  when  our  work  will  be  but 
begun,  and  '  the  night  cometh  when  no  man  can  work.'  And  for 
every  one  of  you,  that  God  may  bless  you,  and  keep  you,  and 
cause  the  light  of  His  face  to  shine  upon  you,  and  enable  you  to 
grow  in  the  knowledge  and  likeness  of  His  only  begotten  Son,  is 
the  earnest  and  humble  prayer  of  your  affectionate  friend, 

"D.  L.  MooDY.'^ 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

"The  Toy-shop  of  the  World"  Welcomes  Them. 

Birmingham,  with  its  400,000  people,  the  constituency  of 
John  Bright,  the  English  reformer,  now  looks  up  to  God  for  a 
shower  of  grace  upon  the  seed-sowing  of  the  evangelists  who 
began  there  January  17,  and  closed  on  the  29th. 

Never  before  in  Birmingham  have  any  preachers  drawn  such 
vast  numbers  of  people  as  these  brethren  are  doing  at  this  time. 
Thousands  are  flocking  daily  to  hear  them  from  the  districts 
around.  The  whole  community  seems  stirred  up.  That  which 
seems  to  be  uppermost  in  men's  minds,  is  the  present  marvelous 
gatherings  that  are  daily  taking  place.  There  is  no  lack  of 
opportunity  for  the  Christian  to  put  in  a  word  for  the  Master,  for 
wherever  you  go,  whether  in  the  counting-house,  shop,  refresh- 
ment-room, train,  omnibus,  and  even  as  you  walk  along  the 
street,  the  one  topic  is  the  doings  of  these  wonderful  men  of  God. 
If  you  want  to  get  a  seat  at  their  meetings,  you  must  be  there  fully 
one  hour  before  the  time,  and  a  stranger  entering  the  town  must 
be  struck  with  the  determination  of  those  who  daily  seek  these 
gatherings. 

Every  day  this  week  hundreds  have  been  turned  away  from 
the  noon-day  meetings  held  in  the  Town  Hall.  Meetings  are 
now  being  held  in  Carr's  Lane  Chapel  every  afternoon  at  three 
o'clock,  and  here  again  it  is  necessary  to  be  there  some  time  before 
the  service  commences.  In  fact,  yesterday  I  was  there  at  two 
o'clock,  and  the  body  of  the  chapel  was  then  filled.  It  is  estimated 
that  three  thousand  people  are  in  this  building  every  afternoon. 


504  MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    GREAT    BRITAIN. 

To  convey  to  the  mind  of  the  reader  the  sight  which  presents 
itself  on  entering  Bingley  Hall  is  impossible.  Sloping  down 
from  the  galleries  which  run  round  the  building,  other  galleries 
have  been  erected,  and  the  whole  building,  from  the  speaker's 
platform,  looks  like  one  vast  amphitheatre.  The  crimson  cloth 
which  drapes  the  galleries  adds  to  the  general  effect,  and  makes 
the  hall  look  very  comfortable.  The  immense  sea  of  faces  is 
singularly  impressive,  especially  when  from  12,000  to  15,000 
people  are  listening  eagerly  to  catch  the  words  that  fall  from  the 
speaker's  lips. 

The  question  may  be  asked.  What  effect  is  this  movement  hav- 
ing upon  the  people  in  general  ?  I  repl}^.  Good  every  way.  The 
stirring  addresses  given  by  Mr.  Moody  to  Christians  from  the 
very  first  morning,  are  bearing  fruit.  They  are  beginning  to  look 
about,  and  realize  that  thousands  around  them  are  living  without 
Christ.  Many  Christians  have  spoken  to  me  of  the  fresh  energy 
with  which  they  have  been  stimulated,  through  attending  the 
meetings.  As  for  those  who  nightly  throng  Bingley  Hall,  the 
best  test  of  the  work  I  can  give  is,  that  whereas  at  first  the  after- 
meetings  were  held  in  a  neighboring  church,  the  anxious  ones 
have  now  become  so  numerous,  that  they  are  obliged  to  remain 
in  the  hall,  while  earnest  Christian  workers,  with  Bible  in  hand, 
pass  from  one  to  another,  and  open  to  inquirers  the  way  of  life. 

All  this  proves  to  us  the  great  power  of  God,  and  what  He  can 
do  by  two  men  who  give  themselves  wholly  up  to  Him.  The  work 
"  is  marvelous  in  our  eyes,"  but  it  is  not  less  marvelous  that  their 
physical  strength  does  not  give  way  under  their  unceasing  labors. 
While  Mr.  Sankey  is  greatly  gifted  with  power  to  use  his  voice  in 
singing  the  Gospel,  Mr.  Moody  has  a  way  of  marvelously  picturing, 
in  the  most  vivid  manner,  Bible  truths.  From  the  humorous  he 
can  come  down  to  the  pathetic,  and  so  move  his  hearers  to  tears, 
and  withal  there  is  a  "holy  boldness  "  which  is  seldom  to  be  met 
with  in  the  preachers  of  the  present  day. 

The  Mo7'ning  News  says  :  "  Never  before  in  the  history  of  Bir- 
mingham, I  believe,  have  two  men  drawn  such  large  numbers  of 
people  together  as  Messrs.  Moody  and  Sankey  have  done,  time 


THE   TOY-SKOP    OF    THE    WORLD        WELCOMES    THEM.         505 

after  time,  during  the  whole  of  last  week  and  yesterday.  The 
Town  Hall,  Carr's  Lane  Chapel,  and  Bingley  Hall,  have  been 
entirely  filled  at  most  of  their  meetings,  uncomfortably  crowded 
at  some,  and  all  but  full  at  one  or  tw'o  others.  Since  commencing 
their  labors  here,  they  have  held  twenty-tw^o  services,  namely, 
four  in  Carr's  Lane  Chapel,  six  in  the  Town  Hall,  and  twelve  in 
Bingley  Hall.  No  doubt  in  many  cases  the  same  persons  pre- 
sented themselves  at  the  meetings  again  and  again  ;  but  it  is 
probable  that  the  audiences  were,  for  the  most  part,  different  on 
each  occasion.  At  the  four  meetings  in  Carr's  Lane  Chapel 
some  12,000,  at  the  six  in  the  Town  Hall  about  24,000,  and  at  the 
twelve  in  Bingley  Hall  at  least  120,000  persons  must  have  been 
present,  making  a  total  of  156,000  men,  women,  and  children,  to 
whom,  during  the  last  eight  days,  they  have  preached  and  sung 
the  Gospel.  Nor  does  the  interest  in  the  men  and  their  work 
as  yet  know  any  abatement,  it  being  likely  that  the  services  to  be 
held  this  week  will  be  as  numerously  attended  as  thoseof  last  week." 

Amidst  all  the  cavil  of  unbelief,  and  other  opponents,  thou- 
sands can  testify,  day  by  day,  to  the  7'eaUty  and  poivcr,  widely 
spreading  and  deepening  blessing  upon  their  souls.  Sinners 
have  been  converted  to  God,  and  believers  edified.  Whole  con- 
gregations, both  in  churches  and  chapels,  have  felt  its  animating 
power.  The  clergy  and  ministers  of  various  denominations 
have  rejoiced  together  in  this  blessed  w-ork  of  the  Lord,  and  felt 
its  quickening  influence.  Many  of  the  Lord's  servants  have  met 
together  for  the  first  time,  and  felt  their  hearts  drawn  out  in 
brotherly  love  and  sympathy,  enabling  them  to  overlook  various 
minor  differences  of  creed  and  church  government. 

The  noon-day  prayer-meeting  was  first  held  in  the  Town  Hall, 
which  large  building  was  filled  long  before  the  appointed  hour. 
A  very  solemn  and  prayerful  spirit  seemed  to  pervade  the  masses 
— the  stillness  was  quite  impressive,  and  the  great  bulk  of  the 
people  seemed  to  enter  most  deeply  into  the  importance  and 
solemnity  of  the  occasion.  The  numbers  at  the  noon-day  prayer- 
meeting  were  probably  quite  3,000.  Afterward  it  was  changed 
to  Bingley  Hall,  where  thousands  more  might  be  accommodated. 


506  MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    GREAT    BRITAIN. 

The  afternoon  Bible-reading  is  also  well  attended,  and  greatly 
enjoyed  by  many.  The  evening  meetings  have  gone  on  steadily 
increasing,  until  at  length  I  suppose  some  15,000  must  have  been 
congregated  together.  The  attention  of  these  great  masses 
(assembled  an  hour  before  the  time)  was  well  sustained  by  sing- 
ing— and,  as  a  brother  clergyman  said  to  me,  on  the  platform,  "  we 
never  heard  such  singing  of  the  good  Old  Hundredth  Psalm 
before,  and  probably  may  never  hear  the  like  again  " — as  it  burst 
forth  from  the  hearts  and  lips  of  this  vast  assemblage.  Oh !  it 
was  a  touching  sight  and  a  telling  sound — such  as  Birmingham 
itself  had  never  w^itnessed  before — 15,000  met  together,  night 
after  night,  to  listen  to  the  loving,  sympathizing,  fervent  preach- 
ing of  Jesus  Christ,  the  Saviour  of  sinners  \  And  the  audience 
felt  it!  The  Holy  Spirit  of  God  seemed  working  in  our  midst — 
alike  on  preacher  and  hearers — and  many  were  the  hearts  moved. 

At  7:30  Messrs.  Moody  and  Sankey  entered  the  building. 
The  service  began  by  singing,  then  prayer  was  offered,  another 
hymn  or  two  were  sung,  a  portion  of  Holy  Scripture  read,  another 
hymn,  and  then  followed  the  address.  Numerous  anecdotes 
were  related,  as  if  not  only  to  illustrate  certain  points,  but  also 
to  rivet  the  attention,  and  then,  as  the  preacher's  heart  and 
tongue  seemed  set  on  fire,  all  these  little  adjuncts  were  sub- 
merged in  the  one  glowing,  burning  theme — salvation  for  lost 
sinners — yea,  a  present  and  immediate  salvation  for  ever}'-  one 
that  believeth  in  Jesus !  As  I  sat  near  the  preacher,  I  could 
read  the  meaning  of  the  big  drops  upon  his  brow,  and  how  h'lF. 
whole  frame  was  moved,  not  with  selfish  passions,  seeking  per- 
sonal admiration,  but  steeped  in  the  love  and  spirit  of  his  Master. 
One  great  object  was  kept  steadily  in  view — the  glory  of  God  in 
the  salvation  of  sinners  through  Jesus  Christ,  and  the  intense 
longing  that  thousands  might  share  with  him  the  blessings  and 
the  joys  of  this  great  salvation  !  Almost  breathless  stillness 
chained  the  .audience. 

Numbers  stayed  for  the  after-meetings ;  the  females  in  the 
side-galleries,  the  males  in  the  Scotch  Church  adjoining.  On 
the  first  Monday  evening  Mr.  Moody  himself  undertook  the  men, 


"THE   TOY-SHOP    OF    THE   WORLD       V/ELCOMES   THEM.        507 

but  finding  the  numbers  so  large,  he  sent  up  to  the  platform  for 
assistance.     Undoubtedly  personal  interviews  are  the  best. 

We  have  reason  to  believe  that  many  found  pardon  and  peace 
in  Jesus,  and  are  spreading  their  happy  and  holy  influences 
around.  The  singing  appeared  to  be  improving  night  after 
night,  as  the  vast  masses  gradually  learned  the  tunes  and  hymns. 
Mr.  Sankey's  solos  were  powerfully  and  sweetly  sung,  and  his 
clear  utterance  and  distinct  enunciation  of  syllable  after  syllable 
gave  a  great  effect  and  pathos  to  the  whole. 

And  on  Tuesday,  January  26,  the  day  of  the  convention,  it 
was  supposed  that  from  one  to  two  thousand  ministers  of  various 
denominations  attended  the  gathering,  which  began  that  day 
at  ten  o'clock  and  continued  till  four  p.  m.  Truly  it  was  a  great 
evidence  of  the  divine  blessing,  as  the  delegates  from  Edinburgh, 
and  Dublin,  and  other  cities,  told  how  the  work  was  still  progress- 
ing in  their  respective  cities,  after  Messrs.  Moody  and  Sankey 
had  left,  and  in  some  places  ripening  in  a  most  marvelous 
manner.  Indeed  a  letter  reached  me  only  yesterday,  telling  me 
of  a  brother  clergyman  in  Dublin,  who  had  a  list  oi  sixty  persons 
in  his  congregation,  who  had  apparently  been  brought  to  Christ 
through  attending  the  meetings  of  Messrs.  Moody  and  Sankey. 

Verily,  the  Lord  is  blessing  the  evangelistic  labors  of  our  dear 
brothers  in  Christ — Moody  and  Sankey.  I  do  not  pretend  to 
endorse  every  utterance,  or  to  see  with  them  exactly,  eye  to  eye,  on 
every  point.  But  I  do  see,  and  I  do  greatly  rejoice  in  their  being 
raised  up  by  God  to  proclaim,  so  touching!}',  and  so  successfully, 
the  utter  ruin  of  sinful,  fallen  man,  and  his  recovery  solely 
through  FAITH  in  Jesus  Christ! 

The  all-day  convention  on  Tuesday  was  in  every  way  a  suc- 
cessful meeting.  It  was  attended  by  immense  crowds  throughout 
the  day,  and  many  well-known  ministers  and  others  were  present 
from  London  and  various  towns  in  the  provinces,  as  w^ell  as  Scot- 
land and  Ireland.  Mr.  Moody  presided  throughout  the  day,  with 
his  usual  tact  and  energy. 

The  first  hour  was  fitly  devoted  to  praise,  and  Mr.  Sankey's 
opening  address  was  followed  by  powerful  testimony  to  the  value 


5o8  MOODY    AND   SA.NKEY    IN    GREAT    BRITAIN. 

of  the  services  by  our  brethren  in  Scotland  and  Ireland.  All  the 
speakers  concurred  in  saying-:  that  a  new  song  had  been  put  into 
their  mouths. 

Mr.  Moody  occupied  the  next  hour  with  an  address  on  "  Work  ;" 
and  his  trenchant  words,  uttered  in  the  presence  of  so  many 
Christian  workers,  were  potent  with  blessing,  in  stimulating  them 
to  do  more  than  ever  for  tlie  Master  in  their  widely  separated 
vineyards. 

"  How  to  conduct  Prayer-meetings  "  was  the  next  topic,  and  a 
most  important  one  it  is.  We  cannot  better  describe  many  of 
the  prayer-meetings  we  have  been  accustomed  to  attend  in  past 
years  than  by  comparing  them  to  "  wet  blankets."  They  have 
been  characterized  by  so  much  frigidity  and  routine,  that  we  do 
not  wonder  the  attendance  has  mostly  been  small.  Mr.  Moody 
will  have  done  us  British  Christians  a  great  and  lasting  service  if 
he  has  been  enabled  to  show  how  our  prayer-meetings  may  be 
made  broad  and  deep  channels  of  blessing  and  happiness,  both 
to  Christians  and  the  careless  world  round  about  us.  We  look 
for  this  result. 

More  important,  perhaps,  was  the  subject  of  the  next  hour, 
"  How  to  reach  the  masses."  Whoever  will  solve  that  problem 
will  earn  the  unspeakable  gratitude  of  all  who  sigh  for  the  conver- 
sion of  the  nations  to  Christ.  The  rousing  addresses  of  Mr. 
Chown,  of  Bradford ;  Mr.  Newman  Hall,  of  London  ;  Mr.  R.  W. 
Dale,  of  Birmingham;  Mr.  Fletcher,  of  Dublin,  and  others,  all 
men  of  large  experience,  will,  we  trust,  have  contributed  some- 
what to  this  desired  end. 

Mr.  Moody  was  as  practical  as  ever  in  his  answers  to  the  ques- 
tions sent  in  ;  and  if  those  who  sent  them  will  only  apply  those 
answers,  we  are  inclined  to  tliink  the  hour  devoted  to  the  "  Ques- 
tion Drawer  "  will  be  the  most  fruitful  of  any. 

In  the  evening  a  public  service  was  held  in  the  same  place ; 
hundreds  were  unable  to  gain  admission.  The  Rev.  Newman 
Hall,  of  London,  delivered  an  address,  earnestly  entreating  all 
present  to  forsake  sin  and  come  to  Christ.  Mr.  Moody,  in  his 
discourse,  urged  on  his  hearers  immediate  decision  for  Christ. 


"the  toy-shop  of  the  world"  welcomes  them.      509 

Mr.  Sankey's  singing  of  sacred  songs  seems  to  make  a  deep 
impression  upon  the  great  congregation. 

At  the  meeting  in  Bingley  Hall  on  Friday  evening,  Mr.  Moody 
said  :  I  was  very  dejected  last  night.  Our  meetings  have  been 
so  much  blessed  that  an  effort  was  ]  Ait  forth  to  get  Bingley  Hall 
for  another  week.  When  we  got  home  last  evening,  we  found  a 
despatch  from  a  gentleman,  saying  we  could  not  have  the  hall.  I 
was  greatly  depressed  all  day.  Nov,  however,  I  have  just  been 
told  we  may  yet  obtain  the  hall  for  another  week.  But  the  com- 
mittee are  wavering  a  little,  as  they  have  some  fears  the  people 
will  not  come  out  to  the  meetings  next  week.  We  have  had  good 
committees  wherever  we  have  been  ;  but  we  have  never  had  a 
better  committee  than  the  Birmingham  one,  and  I  know  they  will 
come  to  a  wise  decision.  But  if  you  are  anxious  about  your  souls, 
you'll  attend  the  meetings.  We'll  get  several  gentlemen  to  speak, 
and  we  hope  you'll  rally  round  the^ii  and  the  committee.  We 
have  had  great  blessings  in  other  towns ;  but  I  think  we  never 
met  with  anything  that  came  up  to  this — to  our  meetings  in  Bir- 
mingham. I  must  say  I've  never  enjoyed  preaching  the  gospel 
more  than  I  have  done  since  we  came  to  Birmingham.  We've 
reached  so  many  people.  I  only  wish  we  could  have  such  a  hall 
wherever  we  go.  I  think  if  we  could  only  take  up  Bingley  Hall, 
we  would  carry  it  round  the  world  with  us,  as  a  place  in  whicli  to 
preach  the  gospel  to  all  men.  But  I  would  like  you  Birmingham 
people  to  go  with  us.  Well,  then,  if  we  do  our  best  to  get  speak- 
ers for  another  week,  will  you  do  3^our  best  to  get  hearers  for  the 
speakers? — (Many  cries  of  "Yes,"  "yes.")  Well,  keep  your 
promise.  Why,  almost  any  man  could  speak  in  this  hall  to  such 
a  meeting  as  this.  The  very  sight  of  you  is  enough  to  make  a 
dumb  dog  bark.  I'll  telegraph  off  to  Liverpool  and  London  to 
send  us  all  the  help  they  can.  There  will  be  a  service  on  Sunday 
afternoon,  when  one  of  your  own  ministers  will  preach.  On  Mon- 
day night  you'll  have  a  thanksgiving  service.  Come  to  it  to  thank 
God  for  having  answered  our  prayers  to  bless  these  meetings. 
Has  God  not  answered  your  prayers? — (Cries  of  "Yes,"  "yes,") 
Then    on   Tuesday   we'll  get    some    one   else   to   speak.      On 


5IO  MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN    GREAT    BRITAIN. 

Wednesday  there  will  be  the  usual  services  in  the  churches  and 
chapels.  On  Thursday  night  there  will  Be  another  speaker.  On 
Friday  I  will  come  back,  on  my  way  to  Liverpool,  and  we'll  have 
a  meeting  for  all  the  converts.  Now,  let  all  rise  who  will  support 
the  committee  and  attend  the  different  meetings.  [Almost  the 
entire  audience  stood  up  in  response  to  this  appeal.]  Yes  ;  the 
committee  are  quite  satisfied.  We'll  go  on  then.  Pray  there  may 
be  hundreds  and  thousands  converted  next  week.  If  things  do 
■not  always  please  you,  don't  complain  ;  just  pray.  Pray  for  a 
great  blessing  next  week. 

Services  were  held  in  Bingley  Hall,  from  5,000  to  7,000  per- 
sons having  been  present  at  each. 

At  Messrs.  Moody  and  Sankey's  farewell  service,  Bingley  Hall 
was  once  more  crowded  to  its  utmost,  nearly  1,600  converts* 
tickets  being  applied  for.  It  would  be  manifestl}'-  premature  to 
assert  that  this  number  of  people  have  been  converted  during  the 
previous  three  weeks'  services.  As  Mr.  Moody  said  at  the  Con- 
ference in  London,  on  the  same  day,  they  did  not  desire  to  reckon 
up  the  number  of  converts,  because  they  could  not  judge  of  the 
reality  of  the  cases.  At  the  same  time  we  think  it  very  probable 
that  many  have  been  brought  savingly  to  believe  in  Christ  who 
did  not  apply  for  converts'  tickets.  In  any  case,  the  progress  of 
the  movement  in  Birmingham  has  been  such  as  greatly  to  encour- 
age and  cheer  our  American  brethren  and  those  who  helped  them 
in  their  labors  ;  and  we  respond  to  Mr.  Moody's  hope  that  it  may 
"  continue  for  a  year." 

Mr.  Moody's  address  to  the  converts  was,  as  usual,  most  fitting. 
His  parting  sentences  were  the  expression  of  affectionate  regard, 
and  it  was  plain,  from  the  demeanor  of  the  audience,  that  the 
parting  on  their  side  was  a  most  reluctant  one. 

Mr.  Sankey  sang  the  farewell  hymn  with  great  pathos  and  feel- 
ing; and  on  leaving  the  hall  both  he  and  Mr.  Moody  v/ere  be- 
sieged with  friends  anxious  to  receive  a  parting  shake  of  the  hand. 
They  proceeded  to  Liverpool  on  Saturday. 

A  correspondent  writes  concerning  this  meeting:  "We  shall 
never  forget  that  address."     Such  was  the  almost  involuntary 


"the  toy-shop  of  the  world"  welcomes  them.     511 

exclamation  of  a  well-dressed  mechanic  who  was  standing  by  us 
in  the  aisle  of  Bingley  Kail.  And  truly  the  work  of  the  Lord  in 
this  town  is  such  as  has  never  before  been  seen  here.  We  were 
praying  and  expecting  great  things,  but  the  blessing  has  exceeded 
our  expectations  ;  never  before  have  the  people  of  every  class 
been  so  moved  and  such  glorious  results  followed.  A  week  hav- 
ing elapsed  since  Mr.  Moody  left  us,  we  are  enabled  to  speak  in 
a  measure  of  results.  First,  the  life  of  the  ministers  who  have 
taken  part  has  been  largely  increased,  so  that  the  testimony  of 
many  of  the  hearers  last  Sunday  was,  "  Our  minister  preaches  like 
a  new  man ; "  then  the  renewed  life  of  the  churches  is  already 
manifesting  itself  in  the  desire  to  work  either  in  Sunday-schools 
or  tract  districts ;  and  besides  this,  the  people  outside  are  more 
disposed  to  hear  the  gospel,  many  coming  into  our  churches  last 
Sunday,  and  in  more  cases  than  one  when  notice  was  given  out 
after  the  service  that  inquirers  would  be  spoken  to,  numbers  vary- 
ing from  twenty  to  sixty  passed  into  the  vestry,  and  many  rejoiced 
in  a  new-found  Saviour.  Our  hearts  are  indeed  full  of  praise; 
should  we  be  silent,  the  stones  might  well  cry  out,  "But  we  will 
bless  the  Lord  from  this  time  forth,  and  forevermore." 

I  know  of  no  one  of  the  many  blessed  hymns  which  has  more 
struck  the  heart  and  arrested  attention  than  that  sweet  one  whose 
chorus  begins,  "  Oh,  'twas  love,  'twas  wondrous  love,  the  love  of 
God  to  me."  This  love  and  its  manifestation  is  the  theme  of  every 
sermon,  and,  of  course,  God  owns  it.  Ministers  wonder- at  fail- 
ure, and  try  to  discover  the  cause  ;  a  week  of  services  such  as 
Birmingham  has  had  for  the  last  fortnight,  I  think  must  answer 
the  question,  "  What  is  the  cause  of  failure  ? "  for  we  have  seen 
in  the  crowded  meetings,  in  the  overwhelming  number  of  anxious 
ones,  in  the  utter  breaking  down  of  strong  men,  the  secret  of  suc- 
cess. The  wondrous  love  of  God  has  been  the  weapon  which  has 
been  used ;  failure  in  using  this  weapon  has  been  the  cause  of 
failure  in  result.  Never  has  Birmingham  been  so  mightily  moved  ; 
in  the  workshops  Sankey's  songs  are  sung,  and  men  v/ho  cared  for 
none  of  these  things  are  anxiously  inquiring  after  the  good  news. 
Oh,  may  our  God  carry  on  the  v/ork  begun  with  mighty  power. 


CHAPTER  XXXrV. 

Liverpool's  Month  of  Mercy. 

The  brethren  revisited  this  great  city  by  the  sea  on  the  7th  of 
February  and  remained  till  March  7,  1875.  Twenty  thousand 
dollars  had  been  expended  for  a  building  capable  of  seating 
eight  thousand  persons,  and,  when  crowded,  several  thousand 
more  were  accommodated.     It  was  named  Victoria  Hall. 

The  Friday  preceding  the  arrival  was  observed  as  a  day  of 
preparation  on  the  part  of  many  of  the  churches,  and  the  first 
meeting  of  the  evangelists  was  on  Sunday  morning,  at  eight 
o'clock,  for  Christian  workers.  This  was  follov/ed  by  the  after- 
noon and  evening  meetings. 

All  Liverpool  was  moved  by  them  ;  but  not  with  the  most 
desiiable  feelings.  Some  were  actuated  by  a  spirit  of  embittered 
hostility,  and  did  not  hesitate  to  write  and  speak  of  these  ser- 
vants of  Christ  what  had  not  the  shadow  of  truth.  This  very 
opposition,  however,  did  good.  God  makes  "the  wrath  of  men 
to  praise  Him."  I  have  known  of  some  who  entered  Victoria 
Hall  bitter  enemies,  and  left  it  attached  friends  to  the  move' 
ment.  Many  flock  to  the  meetings,  apparently  from  idle  curi- 
osity, and  thousands  under  spiritual  anxiety,  whilst  God's  people 
rally  round  the  evangelists  with  an  enthusiasm  and  hearty  good- 
will which  is  cheering  to  observe. 

At  last  Monday  evening's  meeting,  an  intelligent  young  man 
informed  me  he  came  into  that  hall  to  scoff  at  all  he  heard.  "I 
believed  only  in  God  and  the  devil ;  the  latter  I  served  well,  and, 
as  sitting  laughing  at  the  fools  (as  I  then  thought)  about  me. 


Liverpool's  month  of  mercy.  513 

that  beautiful  hymn,  *  Safe  in  the  arms  of  Jesus,'  was  sung.  A 
sudden  thrill  passed  through  my  whole  frame,  and  then  like  a  dart 
ran  through  my  very  heart.  My  feelings  were  awful,  but  I  lis- 
tened to  the  next  verse,  and  felt  theie  is  a  Saviour.  Who  is  He? 
Where  is  He?  Instantly  I  realized  the  truth,  Jesus  is  the 
Saviour.  I  threw  myself  into  His  loving  arms,  and  here  I  am 
now,  rejoicing  in  Him." 

"Blessed  be  God,"  I  said,  "for  such  news.  Now,  brother,  go 
home  and  tell  your  friends  what  great  things  God  hath  done  for 
your  soul." 

"Will  you  pray?"  he  said. 

We  went  together  to  the  throne,  and  then  he  said,  "  God  bless 
you.     I  will  now  live  and  work  for  Jesus." 

The  devil  lays  his  plans,  and  no  doubt  thinks  they  are  well 
arranged,  but  whilst  he  proposes  certain  events,  God  disposes  of 
them  in  a  very  different  way  than  Satan  expected. 

Of  this  I  have  had  an  instance. 

"  I  am  under  a  dreadful  temptation,"  said  a  young  man  to  me. 

"What  is  it?"  I  asked. 

"I  was  given  drink  by  a  man  processing  to  be  a  Christian,  and 
whom  I  have  heard  preaching  the  truth  to  me  and  others,  but  who 
is  opposed  to  Moody  and  Sankey,  and  I  was  sent  here  by  him 
to  give  annoyance.  Now  I  am  brought  to  Christ,  in  place  of  dis- 
honoring Christ  in  this  meeting,  what  am  I  to  do  to  this  man  ? " 

"  Pray  for  him,"  I  said,  "  and  God  will  give  him  to  you  as  a 
star  for  3'our  crown.  Tell  him  plainly  his  state,  and  bring  him 
here  with  you  next  night." 

"  I  knew  a  lady  who  went  to  a  religious  meeting  an  avowed 
infidel,  sent  there  by  two  sisters-in-law  for  a  similar  purpose  to 
that  which  brought  you  this  night  here.  She  was  brought  to 
Christ,  and  sent  back  to  them  full  of  Jesus,  and  was  the  means 
of  their  saving  conversion  ;  and  now  all  three  are  rejoicing  in  the 
great  salvation  effected  by  Jesus,  the  Son  of  God,  for  every 
penitent,  believing  child  of  Adam." 

Truly  the  Lord  is  doing  great  things  for  us,  "  whereof  we  are 
glad." 


514  MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    GREAT    BRITAIN. 

It  may  emphatically  be  said  of  them,  "  They  came,  they  spoke, 
they  conquered."  For  twenty  years  I  have  been  more  or  less 
mixed  up  with  the  evangelistic  work  of  the  town,  but  never  have 
I  met  with  more  opposition  and  scorn  to  any  movement  than  the 
present. 

The  erection  of  the  vast  hall  to  hold  10,000  persons,  was  looked 
on  as  monstrous  folly.  As  it  was  being  built,  the  talk  was.  To 
what  purpose  is  this  waste?  But  now  what  was  called  Moody's 
folly,  is  seen  to  be  God's  wisdom. 

Men  who  wrote,  spoke  against,  and  laughed  at  it,  now  speak 
with  bated  breath,  come  and  hear,  and  go  with  changed  thoughts. 
"  Nothing  succeeds  like  success,"  is  an  old  world's  adage,  and  in 
this  is  proved  to  be  true  : — 6,000  at  a  midday  prayer-meeting ; 
6,000  at  the  afternoon  Bible-lecture  ;  10,000  at  the  evening  meet- 
ing, with  the  inquiry-rooms  full,  are  something  that  even  the  Ex- 
change has  to  admit.  But  beyond  this,  there  is  the  mighty  work- 
ing power  of  God's  Spirit  working  and  acting,  which  no  tables 
can  register  or  numbers  record.  "  'Tis  not  by  might,  nor  by  power, 
but  by  My  Spirit,"  was  the  key-note  of  the  preparatory  meetings, 
which  has  been  steadily  kept  before  all  the  workers. 

The  part  allotted  to  me  in  the  great  work  has  enabled  me  to 
see  and  test  much  that  is  going  on.  And  this  I  can  say — there  is 
wheat ;  there  is  chaff.  The  wheat  is  sound,  and  will  be  a  glorious, 
bountiful  harvest.  The  chaff  will  be  blown  away.  Wheat  and 
chaff  always  grow  together.  Never  have  we  been  privileged  to 
see  so  much  real,  genuine  work  —  anxious  faces,  tearful  eyes, 
aching  hearts. 

Mr.  Moody,  after  a  telling  address,  went  into  the  inquiry-room, 
and  his  place  was  occupied  by  a  layman,  who  wielded  the  sword 
of  the  Spirit  with  amazing  power  right  and  left.  His  words, 
powerful  and  well  chosen,  fell  with  force,  and  told  on  the  vast 
audience  that  seemed  spellbound.  Many  seemed  to  be  convicted 
of  sin,  and  hurried  into  the  inquiry-room. 

Mr.  Moody  remarked  that  many  people  thought  the  Victoria 
Hall  was  a  bad  investment,  but  that,  if  souls  were  born  there,  per- 
haps some  of  them  would  like  to  have  a  little  stock  in  it. 


LIVERPOOL  S    MONTH    OF   MERCY.  515 

Mr.  Moody's  earnest  invitation  to  those  who  were  anxious 
about  tlieir  salvation  to  stand  up,  and  afterward  to  meet  him  in 
the  inquiry-room,  was  responded  to  by  hundreds,  who  were  not 
deterred  from  showing  their  anxiety  by  the  curious  gaze  of  many 
thousand  spectators. 

Many  striking  instances  of  conversion  have  occurred,  and 
other  cases  have  come  under  my  own  observation  in  which  back- 
sHders  have  been  led  to  return  to  their  first  love.  One  day  at  the 
noon  prayer-meeting,  Mr,  Moody  toid  of  an  interesting  case  of 
conversion  he  had  met  the  night  before.  A  young,  stalwart  man, 
who  was  to  sail  for  America  next  day,  had  come  into  the  meeting. 
He  had  been  pricked  to  the  heart  by  Mr.  Moody's  pointed  appeals, 
and  found  his  way  to  the  inquiry-room,  and  here,  as  he  believed, 
to  lay  his  hitherto  unforgiven  sins  on  Jesus.  Later  in  the  evening 
he  called  on  Mr.  Moody  at  his  hotel,  and  received  a  letter  of  intro- 
duction to  any  of  the  Christian  friends  in  America  he  might  meet. 
He  was  accompanied  to  the  hotel  by  his  brother,  who  had  come 
from  the  country  with  him  to  see  him  sail,  and  who  seemed  over- 
joyed to  think  that  one  so  nearly  related  to  him  was  taking 
Christ  with  him  ere  he  left  his  native  shores. 

At  the  evening  meetings  the  hall  is  always  crowded  with  some- 
thing like  10,000  people,  and  if  it  v/ere  not  that  the  committee 
kept  a  great  part  of  the  passages  clear  to  allow  of  access  to  the 
inquiry-room,  every  inch  of  standing  ground  w^ould  be  occupied. 
The  attendance  at  the  noon  prayer-meetings  averages  4,000  to 
5,000,  the  audience,  of  course,  not  being  so  mixed  as  those  in  the 
evening.  One  gratifying  circumstance,  however,  in  connection 
with  the  noon  meeting  should  be  noted,  and  that  is,  the  presence 
of  so  many  of  the  Liverpool  merchants  and  business  men.  I 
have  heard  it  stated  that  between  twelve  and  one,  when  the  noon 
prayer-meeting  is  held,  'Change  is  half  deserted,  and  it  has  been 
remarked  that  no  other  source  of  attraction  has  ever  drawn  so 
many  of  these  busy  men  away  from  their  money-making  for  an 
hour  in  the  middle  of  the  day.  May  they  carry  away  some  truth 
that  will  cling  to  them  when  they  are  tempted  to  forget  God  in 
their  haste  to  get  rich  ! 


5l6  MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN    GREAT    BRITAIN. 

A  very  happy  feature  of  the  work  here,  as  elsewhere,  is  the^  sym- 
pathetic co-operation  of  many  clergymen  and  ministers  of  various 
denominations.  They  appear  on  the  platform  and  take  part  in 
the  services,  as  well  as  in  the  personal  dealing  with  the  anxious. 

"  This  is  glorious  work  ;  this  is  reality''  Such  was  the  remark 
that  reached  my  ears  one  evening  last  week,  as  I  was  passing 
through  the  inquiry-room  adjoining  Victoria  Hall.  There,  I 
thought,  is  the  whole  movement  in  a  nut-shell.  The  more  I  see 
it,  and  the  more  I  ponder  over  it,  I  am  impressed  with  the  feeling 
of  reality  that  pervades  this  work,  as  it  is  now  going  on  in  Liver- 
pool. Endless  are  the  surmises,  and  very  ludicrous  some  of  the 
guesses,  as  to  the  secret  of  its  wonderful  success.  The  Liver- 
pool critics  (and  their  name  is  legion)  are  fairly  puzzled.  I  sum 
it  all  up  in  the  one  word  reality. 

Mr.  Moody  has  often  been  described,  and  criticised,  and  dis- 
sected, both  by  friends  and  foes,  but  I  think  sufficient  stress  has 
been  laid  on  his  predominating  characteristic  of  reality.  As  he 
said  the  other  da}^,  he  pulls  up  his  net  anon  to  see  what  he  has 
caught.  This  is  the  highest  test  of  his  reality,  and  the  one  that 
has  evoked  the  greatest  criticism.  But  it  is  the  one  that  has  all 
along  contributed  most  Xo  the  success  of  the  movement. 

During  the  past  week  the  slain  of  the  Lord  have  been  many. 
Ever}^  evening  has  seen  fresh  groups  scattered  over  the  inquiry- 
room,  with  tearful  eyes  and  troubled  hearts,  drinking  in  the 
affectionate  words  of  invitation,  or  the  plain  words  of  appeal, 
addressed  to  them  by  Mr.  Moody  and  his  co-workers.  People 
who  know  least  about  it  may  affect  to  shrug  the  shoulder  at  the 
inquiry-room,  but  one  or  two  visits  there  would  do  them  good, 
and  probably  convince  them  how  indispensable  it  is  to  success  in 
this  work.  I  hope  one  result  of  this  awakening  in  our  land  will 
be  that  every  minister  of  the  gospel,  and  every  one  who  seeks  to 
speak  to  his  fellow-men  about  salvation,  will  not  only  cast  out 
the  net,  but  will  draw  it  up  every  time. 

The  leading  attraction  of  the  meetings  last  week  was  Mr. 
Moody's  Bible-lectures.  On  each  occasion  the  hall  was  crowded  ; 
so  that  on  a  moderate  computation,  the  seed  of  the  word  of  God 


LIVERPOOL  S    MONTH    OF    MERCY.  517 

relating  to  these  two  most  important  subjects  was  sown  in  tlie 
hearts  of  some  60,000  or  70,000  persons,  many  of  them  from  a 
long  distance. 

The  lectures  are  a  treat  of  no  ordinary  kind.  As  expository 
discourses  they  are  most  valuable,  and  reveal,  to  some  extent, 
how  Mr.  Moody  has  got,  to  use  a  common  phrase,  "  the  Bible  at 
his  finger-ends."  But  these  lectures  have  a  wonderful  hortatory 
as  well  as  expository  value. 

It  is  a  gratifying  fact  that  the  attendance  at  the  evening  meet- 
ings chiefly  continues  to  increase.  During  the  first  week  of  the 
services  the  Victoria  Hall  was  almost  sufficient  to  hold  the 
crowds  of  eager  listeners  ;  at  any  rate,  the  overflow  was  not  con- 
sidered so  great  as  to  necessitate  the  opening  of  other  places. 
Last  week,  however,  overflow  meetings  were  held,  sometimes  in 
two  and  sometimes  in  three  different  places. 

One  evening  I  went  to  St.  John's  Church,  where  I  found  W. 
H.  M.  Aitken  and  the  vicar  of  the  church  conducting  the  service 
after  the  model  of  the  services  in  Victoria  Hall.  The  body  of 
the  church  was  filled  partly  with  the  overflow  from  the  hall,  and 
pardy  with  those  who  had  been  induced  to. enter  by  personal 
solicitation,  and  by  hearing  a  group  of  young  men  singing  hymns 
in  the  church-yard.  It  was  a  motley  company,  and  a  great  ma- 
jority consisted  of  those  who,  from  their  dress  and  appearance, 
do  not  often  find  their  way  to  God's  house.  There  were  num- 
bers of  men  such  as  one  sees  lounging  at  street-corners  and 
about  public-houses,  many  young  girls  in  working  attire  and 
without  bonnets,  and  a  number  of  rough,  neglected-looking 
street  Arabs.  Their  behavior,  with  one  or  two  exceptions,  was 
most  orderly  and  attentive.  A  good  sprinkling  remained  at  the 
close  to  be  conversed  with,  and  many  of  them  were  enabled  to 
lay  their  sins  on  Jesus,  or,  as  the  speaker  said,  to  accept  the  fact 
that  God  had  laid  them  there  nearly  nineteen  hundred  years  ago. 

It  is  interesting  and  refreshing  to  notice  how  all  grades  of 
society  and  all  ages  are  represented  among  the  anxious  who 
throng  the  inquiry-room  at  the  close  of  Mr.  Moody's  addresses. 
From  the  richly-dressed  lady  to  the  poor  waif  of  the  street,  with 


5l8  MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    GREAT    BRITAIN. 

scarce  enough  of  clothing  to  cover" his  nakedness  ;  from  the  boy 
and  girl  of  eight  or  ten  3'ears  to  the  horny-handed,  gray-headed 
working-man,  with  all  the  intervening  stages  of  life — there  you 
find  all,  burdened  with  the  same  sense  of  sin,  and  afterward 
rejoicing  in  the  same  Saviour. 

The  special  work  among  the  young  men,  which  has  been  car- 
ried on  in  other  tovv^ns  where  the  evangelists  have  been,  is  being 
organized  here  also.  On  Saturday  evening  there  was  a  meeting 
for  young  men,  chiefly  to  make  arrangements,  at  which  Mr. 
Moody  was  present.  In  the  meantime  the  meetings  vnW  be  held 
in  Newsome's  Circus,  and  shortly  it  is  expected  that  the  concert- 
room  of  St.  George's  Hall  will  be  available. 

Sunday  last  was  another  day  of  much  sowing  of  the  precious 
seed  of  the  word,  and  reaping  too.  The  early  meeting  for 
"  workers  "  was  some  8,000  strong. 

The  afternoon  meeting  for  women  was  a  wonderful  sight.  The 
hall  was  packed  to  excess,  and  many  hundreds  failing  to  gain 
entrance,  an  overflow  meeting  was  held  in  Newsome's  Circus. 
Mr.  Sankey  sang  the  solo  "  Mary  Magdalene  "  amidst  the  most 
profound  silence,  and  the  pathetic  and  beautiful  words  of  the 
hymn  brought  tears  to  many  an  eye.  Mr.  Moody  spoke  on 
"  What  Christ  is  to  us,"  a  most  pregnant  and  powerful  address 
on  a  theme  that  he  said  it  would  take  all  eternity  to  exhaust. 
As  at  other  times,  Mr.  Moody  asked  those  who  wished  to  be 
prayed  for  to  rise  up,  and  hundreds  upon  hundreds  responded  in 
all  parts  of  the  house.  A  more  touching  or  cheering  sight  I 
never  witnessed.  Mr.  Sankey  sang  "  Almost  persuaded,"  and 
Mr.  Moody  said  that  there  were  so  many  anxious,  it  would  be 
impossible  to  speak  with  them  ;  so  he  asked  them  to  go  home, 
and  at  five  o'clock  to  take  God's  Word,  and  kneel  down  pleading 
His  promise,  and  commit  themselves  to  Him.  All  the  Christians 
in  the  hall  would  be  praying  for  them  at  that  hour.  He  prayed 
that  they  might  be  altogether  persuaded. 

Mr.  Moody  repeated  his  afternoon  address  to  an  immense 
audience  of  men  in  the  evening,  and  in  the  course  of  it  made 
strong  reference  to  the  great  curse  of  Liverpool,  the  drink  traffic, 


Liverpool's  month  of  mercy.  519 

amid  the  approval  of  the  vast  congregation.  He  asked  them  to 
show  their  detestation  of  it  by  becoming  abstainers.  There  were 
hundreds  of  inquirers  at  the  close.  A  deeply  interesting  meeting 
of  about  7,000  young  men  was  held  in  the  Circus  from  nine  to 
ten  o'clock,  conducted  by  Mr.  Henry  Drummond.  These  meet- 
ings are  to  be  continued  every  night. 

Valuable  testimony  was  given  a^s  to  the  tangible  effects  of  the 
work  in  Liverpool.  It  was  stated  that  one  class  reached  had 
been  those  who,  though  religiously  trained,  had,  during  these 
special  meetings,  seen  a  new  meaning  and  power  in  the  truths 
with  which  they  were  familiar.  Many  sailors,  and  ship  captains, 
too,  had  come  to  the  meetings  and  been  guided  into  the  true 
haven  of  rest  and  peace.  Then  there  were  many  workingmen 
who  had  plunged  into  the  depths  of  intemperance,  and  whose  in- 
sulted and  injured  wives,  after  being  driven  from  their  homes, 
had  been  compelled  to  support  themselves  and  their  children  for 
years  together.  These  wives,  in  this  day  of  grace,  had  sent  let- 
ters to  their  husbands,  extending  their  forgiveness  and  implor- 
ing them  to  come  to  Victoria  Hall  and  seek  forgiveness  of  the 
Saviour.  Some  of  them  had  come  and  found  that  forgiveness, 
and  gone  back  to  lighten  their  homes  again  with  a  new  lustre  and 

joy- 
Allusion  was  made  by  one  of  the  speakers  to  another  class, 
one  much  too  large  and  full  of  strange  and  painful  interest,  con- 
sisting of  those  who  have  in  past  years  made  a  profession  of  love 
to  Christ,  but  have  wandered 

"  Away  on  the  mountains,  wild  and  bare," 

and  have  been  glad  to  take  of  the  husks  that  the  swine  did  eat. 
It  had  often  been  asked  whether  the  converts  connected  with  this 
revival  would  stand  the  test  of  time,  and  endure  the  temptations 
of  the  world.  When  the  question  is  put,  as  it  often  is,  "  Brother, 
have  all  your  converts  stood  fast?"  I  can  only  confess  that, 
during  the  forty  years  but  one  that  I  have  preached  in  this  town, 
I  have  missed  a  great  many  from  the  fold  ;  but  I  have  found 
some  of  them  in  that  inquiry-room.     The  first  night  the  inquiry- 


520  MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN    GREAT    BRITAIN. 

room  was  needed,  I  lingered  on  the  platform,  not  intending  to 
go  into  the  room,  when  a  message  came  to  me,  "  You  are  wanted 
immediately ;  an  inquirer  wishes  to  see  you."  I  went,  and  I  had 
not  seen  that  face — I  will  not  tell  you  whether  it  was  man  or 
woman — for  twenty  years  ;  and  I  found  that  soul  had  wandered 
away,  and  had  kept  out  of  my  sight  with  perfect  success.  The 
first  conviction  was  to  go  and  tell  him  by  whose  hands  they  had 
been  received  into  the  Christian  Church.  Many  a  wanderer  has 
come,  and  Christ  alone  knows  how  many  more  He  will  welcome 
back  to  His  all-forgiving  arms,  and  fill  our  hearts  with  a  gladness 
they  have  never  experienced  before. 

And  so  the  great  work  flows  steadily  on.  As  the  days  and 
weeks  roll  past,  and  the  same  scenes  are  so  often  repeated,  it  is 
difficult  to  find  fresh  terms  in  which  to  describe  "  these  wondrous 
gatherings  day  by  day."  The  four  meetings  on  Sunday  last  may 
briefly  be  stated  as  a  repetition  of  those  on  the  Sunday  before. 
All  crowded  to  the  utmost  capacity  of  the  great  hall,  and,  in  some 
cases,  especially  at  the  afternoon  and  evening  meetings,  multi- 
tudes turned  away  for  lack  of  room. 

The  service  for  "  non-church  goers "  at  eleven  o'clock  was  a 
fresh  illustration  of  the  power  of  Christ's  wondrous  love,  or  "com- 
passion," to  melt  the  hearts  of  the  most  supine,  and  to  move  the 
consciences  of  the  most  sin-stricken.  The  arrows  of  conviction 
went  home  right  and  left,  and  there  was  a  large  ingathering  of 
souls  at  the  close.  Mr.  Moody  used,  by  way  of  illustration,  a 
very  touching  chapter  of  personal  family  history  that  brought 
tears  to  many  eyes. 

At  the  three  o'clock  service  for  women,  the  hall  was  filled  to 
overflowing  an  hour  before  the  time.  The  women  are  quite  as  de- 
termined in  their  efforts  to  get  in  as  the  stronger  sex,  and  some  say 
not  quite  so  well  behaved  under  the  trying  conditions  of  a  crowd. 
To  my  mind,  these  Sunday  afternoon  meetings  for  women  have 
been  the  most  wonderful  of  all,  and  certainly  not  the  least  impor- 
tant, when  we  consider  the  power  for  good  or  evil  that  must  be  ex- 
erted by  so  many  thousands  of  our  mothers  and  sisters.  I  must  say 
these  meetings  have  proved  that  the  women  are  not  only  quicker 


LIVERPOOL  S    MONTH    OF    MERCY.  52 1 

in  their  apprehension  of  the  truth,  but  more  honest  and  courao-eous 
in  avowing  tlieir  apprehension  of  it.  At  the  close  of  Mr.  Moody's 
searching  address  on  "  Excuses,"  a  very  considerable  proportion 
of  the  audience  promptly  stood  up  to  show  that  they  wished  to 
excuse  themselves  no  longer  from  accepting  the  gracious  invita- 
tion to  the  marriage  supper  of  the  Lamb.  Mr.  Moody  spoke  to 
the  inquirers  that  filled  the  inquiry-room,  in  language  and  by 
illustration  so  beautifully  simple  and  apt,  that  it  is  almost  impos- 
sible to  conceive  any  difficulty  could  have  remained  in  their 
minds.  At  the  same  time  Mr.  Sankey  addressed,  in  a  very  art- 
less, homely,  and  touching  way,  a  large  body  of  anxious  inquirers 
who  remained  in  the  hall. 

Mr.  Moody,  before  leaving  Liverpool,  addressed  an  immense 
meeting  in  behalf  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association,  and 
laid  the  corner-stone  of  the  new  building,  inscribed,  "This  memo- 
rial stone  was  laid  by  D.  L.  Moody  of  Chicago,  2d  March,  1875." 
He  used  a  silver  trowel  presented  to  him  for  the  occasion. 

The  closing  services  were  held  on  Sunday,  the  7th  of  March, 
at  eight  a.  m.,  for  Christian  workers ;  at  eleven  a.  m.  for  young 
converts  and  inquirers  ;  at  three  p.  m.  for  women  only ;  and  at 
eight  P.  M.  for  men  only.     Each  was  very  largely  attended. 

In  1873,  not  a  convert  was  known  to  have  been  made  by  the 
meetings  held  by  the  evangelists  in  Liverpool,  and  now  behold 
the  wonderful  victories  of  the  Truth ! 


CHAPTER   XXXV. 

Mighty  London  is  Blessed. 

The  scale  of  magnitude  by  which  the  work  was  carried  on  in 
the  metropoHs  may  be  measured  in  our  thoughts  by  one  fact — 
over  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars  were  expended  in 
the  prosecution  during  the  four  months  from  its  commencement, 
March  9th  to  July  nth,  1875.  During  the  lirst  month  the  meet- 
ings were  held  in  North  London,  and  in  Agricultural  Hall,  the 
largest  building  in  that  quarter.  It  is  said  that  once,  at  the  Agri- 
cultural Hall,  Mr.  Spurgeon  preached  to  twenty-two  thousand 
people.  But  for  the  different  style  of  the  arrangements  in  the 
vast  interior,  that  would  probably  have  been  the  number  present 
on  Tuesday  night,  when  the  Chicago  evangelists  entered  on  their 
London  campaign.  As  it  was,  the  audience  could  not  be  less 
than  eighteen  thousand ;  in  all  likelihood  it  reached  twenty  thou- 
sand. The  chairs  numbered  fourteen  thousand  according  to  some 
authorities,  fifteen  thousand  say  others  ;  and  not  one  of  these,  nor 
scarcely  an  inch  of  standing-ground,  was  left  unoccupied,  while 
the  doors  had  to  be  closed  in  the  face  of  many  hundreds  for 
whom  there  was  no  room.  The  anxiety  to  procure  admission 
was  indicated  by  the  fact  that  fully  two  hours  before  the  time  ad- 
vertised for  the  beginning  of  the  service  crowds  began  to  assem- 
ble. We  were  there  a  few  minutes  after  six,  and  already  the 
building  seemed  to  be  more  than  half  full,  while  the  stream  of 
people  entering  was  in  full  flood,  and  required  not  many  minutes 
to  crowd  every  vacant  spot,  excepting  only  the  reserved  seats 
near  the  platform,  for  which  tickets  were  required.     At  half-past 


MIGHTY    LONDON    IS    BLESSED.  523 

six  the  singing  of  a  h3'mn  was  begun  in  a  distant  part  of  the  hall ; 
but  the  Rev.  Thain  Davidson,  from  his  seat  on  tlie  platform,  re- 
quested the  stewards  to  repress  volunteer  attempts  of  this  sort, 
and  in  a  moment  his  wish  was  obeyed.  The  arrangements  were, 
indeed,  admirable.  Ushers,  each  invested  with  an  official  rod, 
were  scattered  all  over  the  building.  Those  near  me  were  young 
merchants  and  professional  men ;  and  they  did  their  work  with 
quiet,  effective  energy.  There  seems  to  have  been  no  screw  loose 
anywhere.  The  silent  seating  of  so  many  thousands  was  a  mas- 
terpiece of  administrative  care  and  skill. 

The  appearance  of  the  vast  throng  was  in  itself  a  sight  worth 
going  many  m.iles  to  see.  No  architectural  features  of  the  build- 
ing came  between  the  eye  and  the  great  sea  of  humanity  that 
seemed  to  stretch  as  far  as  the  vision  could  go.  There  was  abun- 
dance of  light  shed  from  thousands  of  gas-burners  beading  the 
walls — these  at  times  running  in  straight  lines,  and  at  regular  in- 
tervals assuming  a  semicircular  form.  A  broad  strip  of  red  cloth 
running  round  beneath  the  lines  and  arches  of  light  bore  appro- 
priate passages  in  white  lettering.  The  first  of  these,  on  the 
right  of  the  platform,  was,  "  Repent  ye,  and  believe  the  Gospel  "; 
and  the  first  on  the  left,  "The  gift  of  God  is  eternal  life."  At 
the  centre  of  the  platform  there  is  a  small  dais,  covered  with  red 
cloth,  and  having  a  slight  rail  round  it,  and  a  little  book-board  at 
one  corner.  This  is  for  the  president  of  the  meetings.  On  his 
right  are  the  seats  for  the  choir,  and  Mr.  Sankey's  American 
organ.  The  seats  on  the  left  are  for  the  committee  and  others 
taking  part  in  the  service.  On  and  around  the  platform  were 
hundreds  of  leading  men  of  all  the  evangelical  communions,  min- 
isters and  laymen  ;  and  it  struck  me  that  the  Congregational  and 
Presbyterian  churches  were  represented  in  special  strength,  es- 
pecially the  former  body.  The  Earl  of  Cavan  and  Lord  Rad- 
stock  occupied  seats  on  the  platform. 

At  seven  o'clock  Rev.  Thain  Davidson  gave  out  the  hymn,  "  I 
hear  Thy  welcome  voice,"  and  the  volume  of  sound  Vv'hich  rose 
from  the  audience  indicated  that  it  was  a  familiar  strain  to  the 
most  of  the  people  present.    Then,  after  a  brief  interval,  the  hymn, 


524  MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN    GREAT    BRITAIN. 

"Tell  me  the  old,  old  story  of  Jesus  and  His  love,"  was  finely 
sung  by  the  choir,  which  was  composed  of  two  hundred  voices. 
At  half-past  seven  to  a  moment,  Mr.  Moody  stepped  on  to  the 
dais,  while  Mr.  Sankey  took  his  place  at  the  organ ;  and  the  for- 
mer, in  the  least  conventional  of  voices,  said,  "Let  us  rise  and 
sing  to  the  praise  of  God.  Let  us  praise  Him  for  what  He  is 
going  to  do  in  London."  The  response,  as  the  people  sung  the 
familiar  Doxology,  was  thrilling ;  and  no  sooner  had  the  strain 
ceased  than  the  Rev.  Mr.  Billing,  the  incumbent  of  the  nearest 
church,  offered  prayer.  "  We  bless  Thee,  that  we  have  seen  this 
day  and  this  hour,"  he  said  ;  and  hundreds  gave  audible  vent  to 
a  thanksgiving  that  was  uttered  with  deep  fervor.  Very  hearty, 
too,  were  the  "Amens"  which  followed  the  request  that  God 
might  be  pleased  to  ''speak  to  all  London  "  by  the  mouth  of  His 
servants  from  the  other  side  of  the  sea.  Mr.  Moody  gave  out  the 
Scotch  version  of  the  hundredth  Psalm,  Mr.  Sankey  saying,  "  Let 
us  rise  and  sing.  Let  all  the  people  sing."  To  all,  but  more 
especially  to  the  Scottish  friends,  that  was  a  soul-stirring  strain. 

Mr.'Moody  then  stated  that  he  had  that  day  received  despatches 
from  all  the  great  cities  in  Britain,  letting  him  know  that  the  peo- 
ple were  praying  for  London.  All  their  expectations  must  be  in 
vain  unless  they  were  depending  upon  God.  He  therefore  asked 
them  to  spend  a  few  moments  in  silent  prayer.  Hereupon  a 
great  calm  fell  upon  the  assembly,  and  every  head  was  bowed. 
In  a  minute  or  two  the  hush  was  broken  by  the  voice  of  Mr. 
Moody,  who  prayed  that  God's  blessing  might  rest  upon  the  work 
on  which  they  were  now  entering,  and  that  many  might  be  encour- 
aged to  go  out  and  labor  in  this  dark  city.  "  It  is  a  great  city," 
he  said,  "  but  Thou  art  a  great  God.  May  we  ask  great  things, 
and  expect  them."  He  gave  special  thanks  for  the  many  minis- 
ters present,  and  prayed  that  there  might  be  "no  strife  among 
the  herdmen."  Mr.  Sankey  then  sang  the  solo,  "Jesus  of  Naza- 
reth passeth  by,"  explaining  before  he  did  so  that  it  was  simply  a 
Christian  song.  "  May  the  Lord  bless  the  singing  of  this  song 
here,  as  He  has  blessed  it  elsewhere,"  said  Mr.  Sankey,  and  he 
requested  the  people  to  keep  very  still.     The  first  stanza,  and 


MIGHTY    LONDON    IS    BLESSED.  525 

especially  the  line,  "  What  means  this  strange  commotion  ? "  was 
thrilling  in  its  effect ;  but  a  slight  disturbance  in  a  distant  part 
of  the  hall  somewhat  marred  the  closing  verses.  At  the  end 
of  the  piece  some  present  began  to  applaud ;  but  they  were 
instantly  rebuked  into  silence  by  a  murmured  "  Hush ! "  from 
thousands  of  lips. 

On  Wednesday  evening  the  second  meeting  was  held  in  the 
Agricultural  Hall.  The  attendance  was  not  nearly  so  large  as  on 
the  first  evening,  resulting  from  the  fact  that  Mr.  Moody  requested 
the  doors  to  be  closed  at  half-past  seven,  thus  preventing  many 
thousands  who  were  unable  to  attend  so  early  from  gaining  ad- 
mission. 

It  was  speedily  apparent  that  great  blessing  from  on  high  was 
present  in  that  meeting.  The  address  was  full  of  power ;  anec- 
dote, illustration,  Scripture  entreaty,  persuasion,  succeeded  each 
other  again  and  again,  v/ith  lightning  speed  and  force,  while  the 
vast  audience  listened  intently.  As  the  interest  heightened,  and 
story  after  story  was  told,  many  could  be  seen  wiping  the  tears 
openl}'',  apparently  unconscious  of  what  they  were  doing.  The 
graphic  picture  of  the  meeting  of  Bartimeus  and  Zaccheus,  after 
the  former  had  been  healed,  was  thoroughly  enjoyed  ;  and  the 
quiet  hit  at  those  "who  don't  believe  in  sudden  conversions,"  in 
the  statement  that  Zaccheus  ''  was  converted  between  the  branches 
and  the  ground,"  was  greatly  enjoyed.  The  story  that  followed, 
of  '•  the  young  man  converted  on  his  mother's  grave,"  gave  occa- 
sion for  an  impassioned  appeal  to  turn  to  Jesus  then  and  there. 
Silent  prayer  followed  the  conclusion  of  the  address ;  and,  amid 
a  hush  that  was  almost  awful,  the  sound  of  music  floated  on  the 
air,  and  Mr.  Sankey  sang  softly,  "Come  home — come  home." 
Every  head  bowed,  thousands  earnestly  praying,  while  the  soft 
music  seemed  to  enter  into  the  very  souls  of  that  mass  of  human- 
ity, bowing  and  swaying  even  the  hardest  to  thoughts  of  repent- 
ance and  prayer.  Then  Lord  Radstock  concluded  with  prayer, 
and  the  h3aTin,  "  I  hear  Thy  welcome  voice,"  was  sung  as  Mr. 
Moody  went  from  the  Hall  to  the  first  inquiry-meeting  in  London. 
Many  hundreds  followed  him,  but  whether  workers  or  inquirers 


526  MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN    GREAT    BRITAIN. 

did  not  at  the  time  appear,  and  it  is  far  too  early  yet  to  speak  of 
results. 

On  Thursday  Mr.  Moody  presided  for  the  second  time  at  the 
noon  prayer-meeting.  There  was  also  a  falling  off  in  the  attend- 
ance here  compared  with  the  day  before ;  but  the  great  Hall  was 
nearly  filled,  and  would  doubtlessly  have  been  filled  to  overflow- 
ing during  the  service  had  the  doors  remained  open.  Mr.  Moody 
was  just  a  very  little  bitter  in  saying,  "I  don't  know  what  some 
men  would  do  at  a  Pentecost,"  or  his  earnestness  seemed  intensi- 
fied to  bitterness ;  but  this  disappeared  when  he  spoke  of  a  boy 
of  fourteen  with  a  Bible  under  his  arm,  whom  he  had  met  in  the 
inquiry-room  the  previous  night,  and  asked  as  to  his  presence 
there.  The  boy  replied  that  he  v/as  a  Christian,  hoped  to  meet 
some  little  boy  like  himself  to  tell  about  Jesus.  Afterward  the 
boy  was  seen  kneeling  with  another  in  a  corner.  Mr.  Sankey 
also  spoke  earnestly  in  defence  of  the  inquiry-room — asking  ob- 
jectors to  visit  and  see  for  themselves,  instead  of  finding  fault 
beforehand ;  adding,  warmly,  "  It  don't  take  half  a  man  to  find 
fault."  The  meeting  ended  as  usual ;  but  after  its  close  there 
appeared  to  be  an  impromptu  reunion  of  nearly  all  the  evangeli- 
cal workers  in  London,  the  resemblance  being  almost  perfect  to 
one  of  the  evening  conferences  at  Mildmay  Park. 

The  third  evening  service  was  much  more  largely  attended 
than  the  second.  Much  better  order  was  observed  than  at  the 
commencement  of  the  previous  evening,  the  meeting  being  admi- 
rably controlled.  The  address  v;as  most  solemn  and  searching 
in  character,  concluding  with  an  exhortation  to  immediate  and 
final  decision.  Mr.  Moody  ended  his  discourse  by  prayer.  Then 
"  Safe  in  the  arms  of  Jesus  "  was  sung;  then  silent  prayer;  next, 
"  Guide  me,  O  Thou  great  Jehovah ! "  then  the  benediction  and 
the  inquiry-meeting. 

On  Friday  the  great  hall  for  the  noon  prayer-meeting  had  a  glo- 
rious gathering,  and  there  were  quite  as  many  present  as  on  the 
previous  day,  but  notably  men  ;  the  ladies  could  not  face  the  ter- 
rible cold  and  sleet. 

After  singing,  a  gentleman  spoke  earnestly  of  the  way  and  the 


MIGHTY    LONDON    IS    BLESSED. 


527 


need  of  working  for  Jesus.  He  was  followed  b}-  another,  who 
told  a  touching  story  of  how  the  lost  are  found  in  London.  A 
tract-distributor  offered  a  man  a  tract  on  Waterloo  Bridge;  it 
was  declined  with  the  remark,  "  I  shall  be  in  hell  before  night "; 
the  words  were  heard  and  answered,  "  No,  you  will  not,  for  I'm 
going  to  heaven,  and  will  stick  to  you  all  day."  They  left  the 
bridge  together,  the  hungry  man  was  supplied  with  food  and 
taken  to  a  place  of  worship.  There  he  fell  asleep.  "  Perhaps 
he  has  been  walking  all  night,"  said  his  friend  ;  "  let  him  sleep  !  " 
Service  over,  he  was  conveyed  home  to  supper,  inquiring  con- 
cerning all  this  kindness,  "  IV/ia^'s  7iJ>?"  He  was  fed,  tended, 
reasoned  with,  instructed,  and  brought  to  the  way  of  heaven, 
instead  of  being  in  hell,  as  he  had  said. 

So  ends  the  first  three  of  Mr.  Moody's  noon  prayer-meetings 
and  the  first  three  nights  of  work  in  London.  And  it  is  simple 
truth  to  state,  that  such  meetings  were  never  held  before  in  Lon- 
don, if  ever  they  were  in  the  v/orld's  history.  In  ^Aree  days  of 
noon  and  evening  service,  about  e/g/ify  thousand  have  listened  to 
the  glorious  gospel  of  the  blessed  God.  Well  might  Mr.  Moody 
express  his  thankfulness  to  God — the  encouragement  he  had 
received  and  felt,  and  his  deep  sense  of  the  sympathy  and  help 
extended  to  him  and  his  colleague  in  their  great  work.  Well 
might  he  dissolve  in  broken  accents  and  tears  of  entreaty  for  a 
rich  blessing  on  himself  and  those  who,  laboring  with  him,  will 
share  his  eternal  rest  and  rev/ard.  Surely,  when  bankers  and 
rich  merchants,  and  ministers  holding  high  official  positions, 
are  content  to  be  doorkeepers,  it  must  be  said,  "We  never  saw 
it  after  this  fashion,"  and  this  was  exactly  the  case  at  the  door  of 
Exeter  Hall  yesterday. 

Mr.  Moody  took  for  his  text  Isa.  Iv.  6,  stating  for  two  evenings 
he  had  dwelt  on  man  seeking  God,  but  now  he  would  speak  of 
God  seeking  man  ;  yet  recommending  earnestness  in  seeking 
God  by  many  touching  incidents  and  suggestions.  This,  among 
others,  he  thought  "the  dying  thief  might  have  had  a  praying 
mother."  He  also  turned  to  the  ministers  around  him  and  asked, 
"  Did  they  believe  that  God  was  present,  and  willing  to  save  ?  '* 


528  MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN    GREAT    BRITAIN. 

and  was  instantly  answered  by  an  audible  "Yes."  A  tearful, 
impassioned  appeal  followed  to  all  classes  to  seek  the  Lord,  and 
He  would  assuredly  be  found.  Silent  prayer  succeeded,  and 
Mr.  Sankey  sang  "Almost  persuaded."  Then  the  audience  were 
dismissed,  and  all  anxious,  and  all  workers,  were  invited  to 
remain,  an  invitation  that  was  accepted  by  several  thousands  J 
The  whole  space  under  the  arched  room  was  occupied  by  seekers 
and  workers,  while  the  responses  to  earnest  prayers  rolled  around 
like  the  deep  tones  of  the  great  sea  waves  at  night.  The  Lord 
was  there.  Inquirer  after  inquirer  made  themselves  manifest, 
until  there  were  scores  in  the  inquiry-room,  and  scores  remaining 
in  the  hall  speaking  with  the  workers  there.  In  the  inquiry- 
room  were  seekers  and  workers  in  every  direction,  and  very  many 
found  peace  in  believing.  One  fine  young  man  fell  to  the  lot  of 
the  writer,  and  it  was  emphatically  good  to  watch  the  dawning  of 
divine  truth  on  the  mind,  as  shown  in  the  intelligent  face — to  see 
the  look  of  anxiety  and  fear  give  place  to  the  knowledge  and  love 
of  God — to  watch  the  birth  of  the  soul  to  eternal  life  bring  forth 
that  look  of  brightness  on  the  face  which  is  never  seen  from  any 
other  cause.  One  young  lady  said  "  she  was  so  happy,  she  seemed 
to  tread  on  air";  and  in  instance  after  instance  the  testimony 
grew  and  multiplied,  till  we  could  only  rejoice  in  believing  that 
numbers  were  born  again — not  of  corruptible  seed,  but  of  the 
incorruptible,  which  liveth  and  abideth  for  ever.  Then  the  long, 
happy  evening  closed  by  Mr.  Moody  calling  the  workers 
together,  and  giving  some  brotherly  advice  and  counsel  concern- 
ing the  details  of  work  in  the  inquiry-room. 

Oh  for  the  time  of  blessing !  Oh  for  the  rain  upon  the  weary  ! 
Oh  for  the  coming,  in  mightiest  power,  of  the  loving  Spirit  and  the 
King  our  Brother,  among  the  ruined  and  lost — among  the  weary 
and  burdened  laborers  on  this  rough  and  stony  ground !  Our 
Father,  hear  and  answer  Thy  children's  heart-cry,  for  Jesus'  sake  ! 

On  Sunday  morning,  March  14,  the  usual  unbroken  quiet  of 
Islington  experienced  a  striking  change.  From  every  direction 
solitaires,  couples,  and  bands  of  well-dressed  people  were  hasten- 
ing  to    the    Agricultural    Hall.     Many    parties    of  singers   had 


MICHTY    LONDON    IS    BLESSED. 


529 


arranged  to  meet  in  their  different  localities,  and  marched  with 
songs  to  their  destination.  Sunday-school  teachers  resident  in 
the  line  of  march  near  to  the  Hall  had  invited  their  fellow-laborers 
to  breakfast  at  a  very  unusual  hour ;  while  the  vendors  of  hymns 
and  papers  round  the  Hall  took  their  usual  week-day  positions, 
and  transacted  a  large  amount  of  buying  and  selling,  to  which 
multitudes  made  strong  and  indignant  objection.  Pouring  in  at 
all  the  entrances  to  the  Hall,  there  was  speedily  convened  such 
a  gathering  of  its  Christian  workers  as  London  had  never  seen. 
It  was  a  complete  r^-union.  Friends,  whom  the  exigencies  of 
work  had  separated  for  years,  met  and  clasped  hands  once  more ; 
young  men  grown  old  in  service  met  with  others  in  like  condition, 
whom  they  had  labored  with  in  years  of  strength ;  and  comely 
matrons'  faces  were  recognized  as  those  of  former  girls  in  Sunday- 
schools.  Long  before  all  old  friends  could  be  recognized  and 
greeted,  the  time  for  the  service  arrived,  and  the  evangelists  stood 
face  to  face  with  many  thousands  of  the  Christian  workers  of  the 
great  metropolis  for  the  first  time. 

Cool,  prompt,  and  business-like  as  ever,  Mr.  Moody  announced 
the  first  song  would  be  "  Hold  the  fort,"  which  was  sung  with  a 
vigor  that  left  nothing  to  be  desired. 

Mr.  Moody  narrated  a  striking  instance  of  a  Sunday-school 
su|Derintendent  who  was  not  converted,  but  finding  this  to  be  so, 
went  honestly  to  his  minister  and  offered  to  resign.  The  minister 
suggested  a  more  excellent  way — that  the  superintendent  should 
first  turn  to  the  Lord  at  once  and  then  continue  his  labors. 
This  was  done  ;  he  turned  to  the  willing  Saviour,  and  then  became 
the  means  of  the  conversion  of  the  teachers  and  a  great  revival  in 
the  school.  It  was  the  duty  of  each  Christian — not  duty,  but  jDrivi- 
lege  (Away  with  mere  duty  /  we  did  not  talk  of  ditty  to  wives  and 
mothers,  and  why  in  religion  ?) — to  speak  to  some  person  daily. 
For  twelve  years  there  had  scarcely  been  a  day  in  which  he  had 
not  done  this.  Seek  out  friends,  and  bring  them  into  the  current, 
that  they  might  get  a  blessing  and  pass  it  on.  We  must  also  get 
into  sympathy  with  the  unsaved.  When  he  was  laboring  in  the 
school  at  Chicago,  a  teacher,  who  was  going  away  to  die,  came  to 


53©  MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN    GREAT    BRITAIN. 

him  in  bitter  trouble  about  his  unconverted  class.  He  felt  his 
strength  too  far  gone  to  visit  them  ;  they  were  unsaved,  and  he 
was  leaving  them — going  away,  for  ever.  Mr.  Moody  procured  a 
carriage,  and  they  went  together  day  after  day  for  ten  days,  until 
the  teacher  had  seen  all,  pleaded  with  all,  and  won  them  all  for 
Jesus.  The  tearful  eyes,  the  pale  face,  and  the  deep  sympathy 
had  triumphed  for  Christ !  Then  they  all  met  him  on  the  plat- 
form, and  the  wave  of  his  hand  from  the  carriage  was  a  last,  long 
farewell.  The  effect  produced  by  this  narration  was  very  deep. 
Sobs  and  tears  were  almost  universal  The  ministers  on  the  plat- 
form were  wiping  both  e3^es  and  glasses,  and  some  were  literally 
scooping  away  the  tears  with  their  hands.  Strong  men  were  weep- 
ing like  children,  and  the  speaker  himself  w^ept  abundantly  as 
he  remembered  and  depicted  the  touching  scene.  Yes,  he  con- 
tinued, we  must  get  in  sympathy — make  their  case  ours,  their 
troubles  and  sorrows  ours,  and  then  we  shall  have  prevailing 
power.  He  spoke  of  a  poor  mother,  whose  child  had  been 
drowned  in  procuring  drift-wood  from  the  river,  and  whom  he 
visited  along  with  his  little  daughter.  "  If  that  was  me,"  said  my 
child,  "  wouldn't  you  fed  had,  father  ?  Don't  you  feel  bad  for  the 
poor  mother  ?  "  This  unlocked  the  springs  of  sympath}',  and  I 
did  feel  bad  for  her,  I  found  a  grave  for  the  poor  child,  and  after- 
ward bought  ground  for  a  Sunday-school  lot,  to  bury  a  hundred 
of  our  poor  little  scholars.  In  the  midst  of  a  most  striking  scene 
of  weeping,  such  as  that  hall  had  never  seen  before,  the  address 
concluded,  and  Mr.  Moody  attempted  to  pray.  So  deeply  was  he 
moved,  that  he  was  compelled  to  pause  in  his  prayer,  amid  dead 
silence,  to  recover  himself,  and  be  able  to  proceed.  Then  we 
sang,  "Work,  for  the  night  is  coming,"  and  the  benediction 
ended  the  first  workers'  meeting. 

On  Sunday  afternoon,  at  three,  the  first  special  meeting  for 
women  was  held.  There  were,  at  the  lowest  computation,  about 
17,000  women  present;  and  the  power  of  the  Spirit  was  clearly 
there :  tears  and  sobs  and  repressed  cries,  anxious  faces,  low, 
earnest  words  and  entreaties  for  mercy  w^ere  all  around,  as  the 
discourse  proceeded  from  point  to  point.     God  was  the  preacher 


MIGHTY    LONDON    IS    BLESSED.  53 1 

of  this  sermon,  said  Mr.  Moody  ;  and  though  the  first  audience 
was  small,  the  sermon  has  come  rolling  down  the  ages,  and  many, 
I  hope,  are  asking  themselves  this  question  now.  I  am  speaking 
to  professors,  to  backsliders,  and  to  those  who  never  made  pro- 
fession, but  all  equally  lost.  Then  all  sang  the  hymn,  "  Lord,  I 
hear  of  showers  of  blessing,"  and  the  meeting  closed  to  allow 
inquirers  to  gather.  Such  a  number  accepted  the  invitation 
that  the  large  inquiry-room  could  not  contain  them,  and  many 
were  spoken  to  in  the  bitter  cold  without  the  room. 

The  evening  service  was  simply  a  repetition  of  the  afternoon, 
but  for  men  only,  instead  of  women.  Thousands  of  women, 
nevertheless,  accompanied  their  male  friends  in  hope  of  admis- 
sion, but  were  disappointed  —  they  could  not  be  admitted. 
Nevertheless,  the  building  was  filled  to  its  utmost  capacity,  and 
the  doors  were  closed  nearly  an  hour  before  the  service  com- 
menced. The  would-be  infidel  orator  of  London  is  in  the  habit 
of  saying  that  "  Religion  is  an  affair  of  priests  and  women." 
Never  again  will  he  be  able  to  repeat  that  taunt,  after  the  meeting 
on  Sunday  evening  last,  when  nearly  15,000  men  of  London  were  held 
breathless  by  the  simple  preaching  afid  singing  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ 
Before  the  address  was  delivered,  Mr.  Sankey  sang  "  Jesus  of 
Nazareth  passeth  by  ";  himself  singing  the  verses,  and  the  vast 
multitude  joining  in  singing  the  last  line  in  each  verse,  thus  pro- 
ducing the  effect  of  one  of  the  mightiest  choruses  ever  sung  on 
earth.  After  the  address  the  inquiry-room  was  opened,  while 
the  meeting  in  the  hall  continued  with  praise  and  prayer. 

So  great  had  been  the  effect  produced,  so  large  was  the  number 
of  inquirers  who  were  not  "priests"  or  "women,"  that  there 
were  not  enough  workers  present  to  deal  with  them.  Nor  can 
this  be  vv^ondered  at.  Christians  had  been  entreated  and 
enjoined  to  stay  away,  that  the  unconverted  might  have  all  the 
room ;  and  this  request  was  too  literally  obeyed. 

St.  Mary's  Hall  is  a  large  concert-room,  with  chairs  on  the 
floor  fronting  the  platform,  and  a  deep  gallery  round  the  sides 
and  end  of  the  hall.  Mr.  Moody  divided  the  inquirers,  leaving 
the  women  on  the  basement,  and  sending  the  men  into  the  g^al- 


532  MOODY   AND   SANKEY   IN   GREAT   BRITAIN. 

lery,  and  directed  the  workers  to  divide  in  the  same  way.  All 
round  the  gallery  were  men  in  twos  and  threes,  to  the  number  of 
two  or  three  hundred — each  couple  or  three  separated  from  their 
neighbors,  and  earnestly  engaged  in  their  own  work,  without  tak- 
ing any  notice  of  those  near  and  around.  Here  was  a  couple 
discussing  a  difficulty  in  the  way.  There  another  couple  earnestly 
reading  passages  of  God's  Word.  Next  was  one  pleading  ear- 
nestly with  another.  Next  one  whose  work  was  done,  as  the  close, 
loving  hand-clasp  showed.  Many  were  striving  together  in  prayer, 
two  by  two.  Here  a  worker  earnestly  asking  for  the  light  to  come. 
There  another  pressing  the  inquirer  to  pray  for  himself,  and 
others  praying  earnestly  together.  The  writer  had  the  pleasure 
of  speaking  with  three  in  succession.  The  first  was  a  young  man 
who  had  made  long,  wearying  endeavor  to  work  out  salvation ;  he 
had  been  trying  hard  to  come  to  Jesus,  but  neither  work  nor  trial 
had  brought  the  assurance  of  faith.  To  one  so  much  in  earnest 
it  was  most  pleasant  to  show  salvation  as  the  gift  of  God,  and  a 
little  patience  was  richly  rewarded  by  the  dawning  of  the  light. 
Then  said  he,  ^^  I  see  it  noiv  ;  please  to  leave  me  alone  with  God  P^ 
Most  reverently  and  willingly  this  was  done,  and  the  second  was 
spoken  to  ;  he  also  promised  to  accept  the  gift,  and  left  to  kneel 
before  the  Lord  in  seeking,  as  he  was  compelled  to  go.  The 
third  had  long  had  a  form  of  godliness,  but  neither  its  power  nor 
hope — he  was  just  a  sleeping  nominal  church-member,  who  did 
not  wish  to  be  disturbed.  He  had  wandered  into  the  inquiry- 
room,  thinking  it  was  public,  and  he  should  hear  an  address. 
Unable  to  deal  satisfactorily  with  him,  the  attention  of  another 
brother  was  called  to  him,  and  we  passed  on  round  the  gallery. 
On  returning,  this  one  was  praying  earnestly,  the  second  was  gone, 
and  the  face  of  the  first  showed  better  than  any  words  that  he  had 
lost  his  burden.  Passing  below  to  leave,  a  lady  who  was  talking 
to  three  working-girls  claimed  help,  as  help  had  been  claimed  in  the 
case  above.  We  held  conversation,  and  speedily  all  three  declared 
themselves  on  the  Lord's  side  ;  and  the  bright,  earnest  young 
faces  glowed  with  the  thought  of  the  gift  received,  and  the  "  cove- 
nant unto  death  "  with  Jesus.     As  we  saw,  so  we  heard  of  many 


MIGHTY    LONDON    IS    BLESSED.  533 

to  whom  light  and  peace  came  ;  nor  was  it  the  least  impressive 
to  mark  how  willingly  help  was  given  and  received,  how  entirely 
absent  were  evidences  of  self  and  self-seeking.  Conversions  all 
around,  an  atmosphere  of  prayer  and  the  Word  of  God,  the  sub- 
dued hum  of  conversation  with  each  other,  and  converse  with  the 
Father  through  the  Son,  gave  a  sense  of  "  nearness  of  access,"  of 
personal  presence,  of  a  very  present  and  loving  help,  that  was  as 
sweet  as  it  was  solemn.  Verily  it  "  was  good  to  be  there  !  "  It 
was  just  eleven  o'clock  when,  after  three  hours  of  delightful  ser- 
vice, "  the  labor  was  done,  and  the  laborers  gone  home." 

The  Christian  World  thus  summarizes  the  first  month's 
work: 

To-day  the  American  evangelists,  whose  names  are  on  every 
lip,  enter  upon  the  second  month  of  their  London  campaign. 
They  have  all  but  completed  the  series  of  meetings  at  the  Agri- 
cultural Hall,  in  Islington,  designed  more  especially  for  the  benefit 
of  the  people  dwelling  in  the  great  northern  region  of  the  metrop- 
olis ;  and  now  they  are  about  to  enter  on  the  daily  occupation  of 
a  building  specially  erected  for  their  accommodation  at  the  East 
End.  From  week  to  week  we  have  furnished  our  readers  with 
full  reports  of  the  proceedings.  In  this  way  the  public  have  been 
enabled  to  obtain  a  comprehensive,  and  we  believe  accurate,  view 
of  a  series  of  meetings  that  certainly  stand  without  a  parallel  in 
the  religious  annals  of  England.  We  may  not  be  able  to  say,  with 
a  respected  contemporary,  that  Mr.  Moody  is  the  modern  Wycliffe 
— a  name  we  should  rather  assign,  if  we  used  it  at  all,  to  a  great 
English  preacher  who  has  been  proclaiming  the  Gospel  to  multi- 
tudes in  London  every  week  for  more  than  twenty-one  years. 
Neither  are  we  prepared  to  coincide  with  the  magnanimous  asser- 
tion of  a  Wesleyan  Methodist  journal,  that  this  movement  puts 
the  revival  which  was  wrought  by  Whitfield  and  Wesley  into  the 
shade,  in  respect,  at  least,  to  the  numbers  brought  under  the 
sound  of  the  Gospel.  These  are  statements,  as  it  seems  to  us, 
which  would  require  to  be  greatly  qualified  before  they  could  be 
accepted  by  thoughtful  men.  Yet,  without  going  the  length  of 
our  too  exuberant  friends,  we  can  testify  that  the  success  of  the 


534  MOODY   AND   SANKEY    IN    GREAT    BRITAIN. 

gatherings  over  which  Mr.  Moody  presides  has  been  simply  mar- 
velous, and  in  its  way  quite  unexampled,  either  within  the  mem- 
ory of  living  men,  or  in  all  that  has  been  recorded  by  the  pen  of 
the  English  historian  of  the  Christian  Church.  Whatever  may  be 
the  view  he  takes  of  the  work,  as  to  its  true  spiritual  significance 
and  value,  every  candid  onlooker  must  acknowledge  that  the 
present  is  a  phenomenon  which  cannot  be  too  carefully  scanned, 
or  too  fully  described  by  the  contemporary  journalist.  It  will 
unquestionably  claim  for  itself  a  chapter  of  no  inconsiderable 
magnitude  in  the  book  that  deals  with  the  religious  history  of 
England  in  the  last  quarter  of  the  nineteenth  centur3\  Some 
little  service  to  the  future,  as  well  as  to  the  present-day  reader, 
may,  therefore,  be  rendered  by  an  attempt  to  gather  up  the  salient 
points  in  the  story  of  the  first  month  spent  by  Messrs.  Moody 
and  Sankey  in  London. 

And  first  of  all  we  have  to  note  the  sustained,  and  it  would 
even  seem  growing,  interest  which  the  public  take  in  the  meet- 
ings. Every  day  at  noon  Exeter  Elall  has  been  well  filled ;  often 
it  has  been  crowded,  and  there  is  no  symptom  of  any  falling  off 
in  the  attendance,  while  it  may  be  confidently  expected  that  when 
the  prayer-meeting  is  transferred,  as  it  will  be  on  Monday  next, 
to  Her  Majesty's  Opera  House,  the  audience  will  be  as  great  as 
that  building  is  able  to  contain.  That  the  interest  in  the  primary 
purpose  of  the  noon-gathering  has  not  declined  is  made  manifest 
by  many  pleasing  tokens.  Not  the  least  eloquent  of  these  was 
the  statement  made  by  Mr.  Moody  on  Wednesday  last,  that  the 
requests  for  prayer  received  that  morning  numbered  no  fewer 
than  i8o.  The  reports  of  spiritual  work  achieved  in  connection 
with  the  movement,  not  only  in  London,  but  also  in  the  provinces, 
have  been  multiplying  daily;  and  these  form  a  feature  of  the 
proceedings  at  Exeter  Hall  which  does  much  to  keep  alive  the 
interest  and  to  intensify  the  fervor  of  the  assembly.  Then  there 
has  been  the  appearance  of  new  speakers  from  day  to  day — wit- 
nesses to  the  reality  of  the  revival  in  Scotland,  Ireland,  and  pro- 
vincial towns  of  England.  When  the  meeting  is  thrown  open  to 
volunteers,  the  result  has  not  always  been  edifying;    but  Mr. 


MIGHTY    LONDON    IS    BLESSED. 


535 


Moody,  as  a  shrewd  and  ready-witted  president,  keeps  the  most 
of  the  time  well  occupied  with  a  swift  and  flowing  succession  of 
song,  prayer,  and  exhortation,  so  that  the  hour  seems  to  all  pres- 
ent to  be  only  too  short,  and  is  obviously  most  refreshing  to  their 
spirits.  Mr.  Moody  is,  perhaps,  seen  at  his  best  at  Exeter  Hall. 
Some  of  his  short  addresses  there  have  been  gems  of  pithy  expo- 
sition ;  and  his  occasional  quaint  bits  of  self-defence,  and  frequent 
touches  of  mingled  humor  and  pathos,  have  been  remarkably 
effective.  People  from  the  country  have  formed  a  distinctly  per- 
ceptible element  in  the  congregation  ;  and  we  cannot  doubt  that 
these,  along  with  the  city  brethren,  have  derived  useful  hints  from 
Mr.  Moody's  method  for  the  conduct  of  prayer-meetings  in  their 
own  places  of  worship.  In  this  way,  we  think  it  likely  that  a 
great  deal  of  good  may  be  done. 

The  three  afternoon  meetings  held  at  Sanger's  (formerly  Ast- 
ley's)  Amphitheatre  were  among  the  most  successful  of  all  the 
gatherings,  and  are  said  to  have  been  the  most  fruitful  in  spiritual 
results.  The  place  could  not  hold  all  the  people  who  flocked  to 
them;  and  a  proportionately  larger  number  of  the  "lapsed 
masses  "  were  to  be  seen  in  these  South-side  gatherings  than  in 
the  assemblies  at  the  Agricultural  Hall.  The  two  afternoon 
Bible-readings — the  first  held  in  the  Conference  Hall  at  Mildmay 
Park,  and  the  second  at  Exeter,  and  to  both  of  which  admission 
was  procured  only  by  ticket — were  crammed,  and  they  seemed  to 
be  greatly  enjoyed. 

As  for  the  great  meetings,  those  held  every  night  (with  the 
exception  of  Saturday)  at  the  Agricultural  Hall,  and  thrice  on 
Sunday  in  the  same  enormous  edifice,  they  have  continued  to 
attract  an  average  attendance  of  at  least  eleven  or  twelve  thou- 
sand down  to  the  very  last.  On  the  two  nights  when  the  address 
was  not  given  by  Mr.  Moody  there  was  a  great  falling  off"  in  the 
congregation.  On  Good  Friday  the  Times  "felt  bound"  to 
express  its  "  strong  conviction  that  the  interest  of  the  meetings 
was  rapidly  falling  off; "  but  the  facts  do  not  sustain  this  view. 
The  largest  congregations  have  assembled  within  the  last  ten 
days ;  and  these  have  included  all  ranks  and  classes  of  society. 


536  MOODY    AND   SANKEY    IN    GREAT   BRITAIN. 

Royalty  itself,  in  the  person  of  her  Royal  Highness  the  Duchess 
of  Teck,  has  expressed  its  intention  to  come  since  the  leading 
journal  proclaimed  the  turning  of  the  tide.  On  one  evening 
there  were  at  least  sixty  clergymen  of  the  Establishment  present, 
with  Dean  Stanley  occupying  a  conspicuous  seat  on  the  platform  ; 
and  on  the  night  of  Good  Friday  the  evangelical  Earl  of  Shaftes- 
bury sat  on  the  same  chair  which  a  few  evenings  before  had  been 
occupied  by  the  Broad  Church  Dean.  Lord  Shaftesbury,  at  the 
close  of  the  service,  paid  a  visit,  along  with  his  daughters,  to  the 
inquiry-room.  In  respect  to  the  numbers  of  the  Agricultural 
Hall  congregation,  the  floor  of  the  building  is  capable  of  seating 
9,000  persons  ;  the  raised  platform  for  the  choir  and  ministers, 
250 ;  the  eastern  side  gallery,  900  ;  the  western  side  gallery, 
1,000;  the  upper  raised  gallery  in  front  of  the  platform,  1,350; 
the  balcony  in  front,  850;  and  the  upper  western  balcony,  350. 
Even  on  moderate  computation,  it  would  seem  that  about  350,000 
must  have  been  the  total  of  the  numbers  present  at  the  Agricul- 
tural Hall  services  during  the  month ;  though  it  must  be  borne 
in  mind  that  very  many  persons  were  frequent,  and  not  a  few 
constant,  attenders.  It  would  probably  be  a  liberal  allowance  if 
we  were  to  say  that  200,000  separate  individuals  were  present. 
The  arrangements  made  by  the  committee  for  the  comfort  of  the 
congregation  and  the  preservation  of  order  have,  from  first  to 
last,  been  admirable. 

With  respect  to  the  inquir3^-rooms,  they  have  been  largely 
attended  every  night  by  Christian  friends,  clerical  and  lay ;  and 
the  penitents  pressing  in  for  spiritual  advice  have,  on  many  occa- 
sions, numbered  several  hundreds.  But  there  has  been  no  more 
excitement  there  than  in  the  public  service  ;  indeed,  the  proceed- 
ings have  been  more  subdued,  and  a  quiet,  solemn  earnestness 
has  characterized  all  that  has  been  done  in  connection  with  this 
part  of  the  work.  Several  gentlemen  taking  part  in  it  have  tes- 
tified to  the  good  accomplished ;  and  Mr.  Sankey  in  particular, 
who  is  active  in  the  inquiiy-room,  describes  the  work  of  which  he 
was  witness  on  Sunday  week,  and  on  every  succeeding  night,  as 
being  in  the  highest  degree  encouraging.     Many  Christian  work- 


MIGHTY  LONDON    IS    BLESSED.  537 

ers,  though  not  so  many  as  Mr.  Moody  desires  to  see,  have  scat- 
tered themselves  among  the  great  audience  at  the  ordinary  ser- 
vices, for  the  purpose  of  speaking  a  word  to  their  unconverted 
neighbors ;  and  a  case  has  been  mentioned  in  which  the  young 
ladies  of  a  certain  seminary  have,  in  this  way,  been  instrumental 
in  leading  twenty  individuals  to  the  Saviour.  With  this  we  may 
bracket  the  case  of  a  lady  who  took  her  ten  servants  to  one  of  the 
services,  and  who  reports  that  seven  of  these  have  been,  in  con- 
sequence, converted  to  God.  Mr.  Moody  has  detailed  instances 
of  persons  brought  to  a  knowledge  of  God  in  the  inquiry-room 
one  night,  and  appearing  on  the  next  with  friends  whom  they 
desired  to  see  sharing  the  peace  which  they  had  secured.  Since 
the  second  Sunday  a  young  men's  meeting  has  been  held  every 
night  at  St.  Mary's  Hall,  immediately  after  the  public  service ; 
and  latterly  this  feature  has  come  more  conspicuously  into  view, 
and  been  more  pressingly  urged  upon  the  attention  of  the  class 
referred  to  by  Mr.  Moody,  who  is  ambitious  of  securing  a  band 
of  at  least  a  thousand  to  assist  him  in  his  work. 

The  meetings  in  the  East  End  of  London  were  held  in  the  Bow- 
road  Hall  and  a  tent  pitched  close  by.  Here  the  rich  and  poor 
congregated,  and  God  graciously  poured  out  His  Spirit.  In  the 
West  End  the  Royal  Opera  House,  in  the  Haymarket,  was  ob- 
tained. In  South  London  Camberwell  Hall  was  specially  pro- 
vided for  the  immense  multitudes  sure  to  gather. 

During  the  greater  part  of  April  services  had  been  conducted 
daily  in  each  of  the  four  divisions  of  the  metropolis.  Messrs. 
Moody  and  Sankey  have  divided  their  labors  almost  equally  be- 
tween the  East  and  the  West  Ends — officiating  at  Her  Majesty's 
Opera  House,  in  the  Haymarket,  at  the  daily  noon  prayer-meet- 
ing, and  also  at  an  afternoon  Bible-reading,  while  in  the  evening 
they  have  generally  been  present  at  the  service  in  the  Bow-road  Hall. 
On  two  evenings  of  each  week  they  have  returned  to  the  Agricul- 
tural Hall  in  Islington.  The  first  week  after  their  departure 
from  that  hall  the  services  there  were  conducted  by  Rev.  William 
Taylor  of  California  ;  but  the  attendance  instantly  dropped  from 
12,000  to  2,000,  and  sank  to  as  low  as  i,ooo  before  the  week  wag- 


538  MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN    GREAT    BRITAIN. 

done.  In  the  second  week  Mr.  Taylor  was  succeeded  by  the 
Rev.  W.  H.  M.  Aitken  (Episcopalian)  of  Liverpool,  who  secured 
much  larger  congregations,  there  being  occasionally  as  many  as 
5,000  and  6,000  present  to  hear  him  ;  and  at  the  Victoria  Thea- 
tre, on  the  South  side,  Mr.  Taylor  held  daily  meetings,  where  his 
labors  would  appear  to  be  better  appreciated  than  they  were  at 
Islington.  The  prayer-meeting  at  the  Opera  House  has  not  been 
so  well  attended,  on  the  whole,  as  that  at  Exeter  Hall ;  but  the 
Bible-readings  have  attracted  great  congregations,  these  including 
many  members  of  fashionable  society,  led  by  Her  Royal  High- 
ness the  Princess  of  Wales,  who  was  present  on  Thursday,  April 
15.  In  an  article  on  "The  American  Revivalists  in  England," 
the  New  York  Independent  says  :  "  We  presume  that  the  aristoc- 
racy and  the  literati  will  scarce  hear  of  the  movement  that  is 
about  them.  It  is  an  after-generation  that  builds  the  monuments 
of  the  prophets.  Bunyan  got  no  words  of  honor  from  the  Duke 
of  Bedford,  whose  descendant  has  lately  set  up  his  statue."  Sev- 
eral months  before  these  words  were  written,  Mr.  Moody  had 
sojourned  as  a  guest  within  the  walls  of  Dunrobin  Castle,  the 
northern  seat  of  the  Duke  of  Sutherland  ;  and  weeks  before,  he 
had  dined  with  the  Lord  Chancellor  of  England  at  Bournemouth. 
At  his  first  meeting  in  the  Agricultural  Hall  he  was  assisted  by 
a  peer  of  the  realm,  and  other  noblemen  took  part  in  subsequent 
gatherings,  while  Lord  Cairns,  the  Earl  of  Shaftesbury,  and  many 
other  members  of  the  aristocracy,  formed  part  of  his  audience. 
The  favor  with  which  his  labors  are  regarded  by  a  large  section 
of  the  nobility  has  been  still  more  conspicuously  displayed  since 
the  opening  of  the  services  in  the  Haymarket,  and  especially 
since  the  visit  paid  by  the  Princess  of  Wales.  Standing  some- 
what in  the  same  relation  to  Mr.  Moody  that  the  Counte'ss  of 
Huntingdon  did  to  Whitefield,  her  Grace  the  Duchess  of  Suther- 
land has  been  well-nigh  a  daily  attender,  accompanied  sometimes 
by  her  daughter  and  Lady  Constance  Leveson-Gower.  Twice 
last  week  the  Duke  and  Duchess  of  St.  Albans  were  seen  in  the 
royal  box  ;  the  Prince  Teck  has  also  been  present,  and  so  have 
the  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Marlborough,  the  Countess  of  Gains- 


MIGHTY    LONDON    IS    BLESSED.  539 

borough,  Lady  Dudley,  Lord  and  Lady  Rendlesham  (the  latter  a 
daughter  of  the  late  popular  Earl  of  Eglington),  and  many  more 
of  the  "  upper  ten  thousand."  To  crown  all,  it  is  alleged,  not 
only  that  Lord  Dudley  interested  himself  in  secm'ing  the  Opera 
House  for  the  American  evangelists,  but  that  his  lordship  was  en- 
couraged to  do  this  by  no  less  a  personage  than  the  Heir  Apparent. 

The  following  is  given  as  the  number  of  meetings  and  aggre- 
gate attendance  during  the  four  months  that  Mr.  Moody  has  been 
in  London  : 

In  Camberwell,  sixty  meetings,  attended  by  480,000  people ; 
in  Victoria,  forty-five  meetings,  attended  by  400,000  ;  in  the  Opera 
House,  sixty  meetings,  attended  by  330,000;  in  Bow,  sixty  meet- 
ings, attended  by  600,000;  and  in  Agricultural  Hall,  sixty  meet- 
ings, attended  by  720,000.  The  amount  of  money  expended  for 
buildings,  printing,  stewards,  etc.,  is  $140,000.  Messrs.  Moody 
and  Sankey  have  declined  to  receive  any  compensation  from  the 
committee.  It  is  stated  that  a  prominent  business  man  has 
bought  the  Victoria  Theatre,  and  intends  to  fit  it  up  for  religious 
work. 

Inquirers  multiplied  ;  young  men's  meetings  were  held  ;  thou- 
sands of  children  were  gathered.  A  great  array  of  workers  went 
out,  two  by  two,  to  visit  every  house  in  London  with  the  Gospel. 
Every  text  Mr.  Moody  quoted  was  an  arrow  from  God's  bow 
which  went  straight  to  the  heart.;  every  song  from  Mr.  Sankey 
won  some  soul  ;  every  appeal  persuaded-  some  heart  to  3'ield  to 
Christ ;  every  meeting  swelled  the  throng  of  converts.  The 
mighty  movement  swept  from  one  end  of  London  to  the  other. 

As  the  evangelists  left  one  quarter  of  the  city  for  another,  the 
meetings  were  continued  in  the  localities  left,  until,  when  Mr. 
Moody,  during  the  last  month,  was  at  Camberwell  Green  Hall  in 
the  South,  Major  Cole  was  at  the  Victoria  Theatre  in  the  West, 
Henry  Varley  at  the  Bow-road  Hall  in  the  East,  while  Henry 
Drummond  was  holding  his  young  men's  meetings  with  great 
success.  Notwithstanding  all  these  great  meetings,  numbering 
often  many  thousands,  the  central  meetings  under  our  two 
brethren  moved  on  with  v/onderful  power  and  success. 


540  MOODY   AND    SANKEY   IN    GREAT   BRITAIN. 

As  the  last  week  drew  to  a  close,  the  interest  became  interne. 
On  the  last  night,  Mr.  Moody  became  very  earnest  and  urgent 
in  his  appeals  to  the  vast  and  intensely  interested  audience,  to 
accept  Christ.  "Just  let  me  pause  here,"  he  said.  "Ask  your- 
selves whether  you  ought  not  to  receive  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
now?  Who  is  there  in  this  assembly  who  will  receive  the  gift 
of  God  and  be  saved  ?  "  After  a  brief  pause,  a  voice  came  from 
the  left-hand  gallery,  somewhat  faintly,  "  I  will."  It  was  speed- 
ily followed  by  others  from  all  parts  of  the  house.  "  Well,"  con- 
tinued Mr.  Moody,  "thank  God  for  that.  I  am  just  passing 
around  the  cup  of  salvation.  Who  else  will  take  it?"  "I  will," 
"  I  will,"  "  I  will,"  "  I  will,"  came  resounding  on  every  hand. 
"  That's  right,  my  boy,"  replied  he,  speaking  to  a  little  fellow 
down  in  front  of  him,  whose  "  I  will  "  came  up  to  the  platform 
with  the  rest.  "  Will  the  Christians  keep  on  praying  ?  Men 
do  not  speak  out  like  this  unless  God  is  at  work.  Who  else  will 
accept  the  gift  of  God  ?  "  Again  came  a  perfect  volume  of 
"I  will's."  "Would  it  not  be  a  glorious  thing  if  every  man 
here  would  take  it  to-night?  Is  there  another?"  "I  will." 
"Another?"  "I  will."  "How  many  are  to-night  willing  to 
stand  up  before  God  and  man,  and  say  by  that  act  that  they  will 
join  us  in  our  journey  to  heaven  ?  You  that  are  willing  to  take 
Christ  now,  would  you  just  rise  ?"  A  mighty  army  of  men  rose 
to  their  feet  at  once.  "  Why  not  three  thousand  ?  The  God  of 
Pentecost  still  lives  !  "  Numbers  more  stood  up,  until  one  could 
scarce  distinguish  between  those  sitting  and  those  standing. 
Mr.  Moody  prayed  and  said,  "and  now  we  will  sing  'Safe  in  the 
arms  of  Jesus.' "  Multitudes  flocked  into  the  inquiry-room, 
v/here  there  was  a  scene  of  ingathering  never  to  be  forgotten 
by  those  who  were  present.  A  fitting  close  to  the  labors  of  our 
brethren  in  Great  Britain.  Their  work  had  continued  without 
interruption  through  two  years  and  three  weeks.  They  had  held 
meetings  in  perhaps  a  hundred  cities  and  villages.  They  had 
personally  attended  between  two  and  three  thousand  services. 

Mr.  Roberts,  of  New  York,  writing  from  London,  says  :  "  The 
places  of  most  interest  for  over  two  months  are  those  where  the 


MIGHTY    LONDON    IS    BLESSED.  54I 

meetings  of  Moody  and  Sankey,  the  American  evangelists,  are 
held.  I  had  heard  of  them  before  leaving  home,  but  I  was  not 
prepared  for  what  I  heard  and  saw  at  these  vast  assemblages, 
which  I  attended  several  days  twice,  and  sometimes  thrice  a  day. 
I  was  present  at  Agricultural  Hall,  when  there  were  from  twelve 
to  fifteen  thousand  persons  present.  Last  Sunday  evening  the 
room  was  crammed  full,  and  I  had  to  stand  an  hour  and  a  half 
Though  there  were  so  many  inside,  thousands  went  away.  The 
Lord  Chancellor  (Cairns),  with  his  wife,  was  present.  They  are 
both,  I  was  told,  devoutly  pious,  attending  several  of  the  meet- 
ings with  a  number  of  the  nobility  and  eminent  men,  including 
Gladstone. 

"  It  is  a  grand  sight  to  see  such  a  vast  audience  ;  and  when 
they  unite  in  singing,  it  is  thrilling  beyond  anything  I  have  ever 
heard. 

"  The  text  was,  '  Come  thou  and  all  thy  house  into  the  ark ' 
(Genesis  vii.).  He  handled  it  remarkably  well,  and  I  was  told 
the  discourse  was  more  effective  than  in  the  morning,  which  was 
based  on  the  story  of  Naaman  (2  Kings  v.). 

"  He  usually  preached  from  thirty  to  forty-five  minutes,  in  a 
very  clear  voice,  enunciating  distinctly,  presenting  the  truth  very 
plainly,  earnestly,  and  pungently,  appealing  to  the  heart  and  con- 
science, without  any  effort  to  excite  animal  feeling ;  and  at  all 
these  meetings  there  was  an  entire  absence  of  fanaticism.  The 
people  are  absorbed  by  what  is  said,  and  there  is  nothing  noisy  or 
demonstrative,  though  nearly  all  join  in  the  singing  of  hymns  full 
of  Gospel  truth,  to  simple  melodious  airs. 

"  Sankey  leads  the  singing  usually,  and  generally  sings  a  solo 
at  every  service,  'Jesus  of  Nazareth  is  passing  by,'  or  the  '  Ninety 
and  nine,'  based  on  the  parable  of  the  lost  sheep.  His  voice  is 
so  powerful  as  to  be  heard  easily  by  such  large  assemblages,  for 
he  enunciates  every  word  in  a  remarkably  sweet  voice. 

"The  music  is,  no  doubt,  a  great  help  to  the  preaching,  the 
main  element  of  which  is  Christ,  as  set  forth  in  the  Bible  sent 
home  to  the  souls  of  rich  and  poor,  high  and  low,  the  educated 
and  the  ignorant,  by  the  Spirit  of  God ;  for,  in  my  opinion,  there 


542  MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    GREAT    BRITAIN. 

is  no  Other  way  of  accounting  for  the  assembling  of  such  vast 
multitudes  three  or  four  times  daily  for  weeks  and  months. 

"While  I  was  in  London,  Moody  held  a  noon  prayer-meeting 
at  the  Queen's  Opera  House,  Ha3'market,  at  which,  I  think, 
fifteen  hundred  attended — preaching  there  at  three  and  seven 
p.  M.,  when  the  house  was  filled  from  top  to  bottom.  At  eight 
and  a  half  he  preached  at  East  London  in  a  large  hall,  accom- 
modating some  twelve  thousand.  How  he  endures  such  great 
and  constant  mental  and  physical  labors  I  cannot  understand. 

"  Thus,  substantially,  he  has  worked  for  over  two  months  in 
London,  and  in  about  like  manner  for  nearly  two  years  in  various 
places  in  Great  Britain.  He  appears  very  robust — I  think  larger 
around  the  chest  than  any  man  I  ever  saw,  and  every  time  I 
heard  him,  what  he  said  was  fresh. 

"At  the  large  meetings  hundreds  stood  up  for  prayers,  and 
entered  the  inquiry-rooms,  where  Christians  conversed  with 
them. 

"  This  was  a  large  hall,  nearly  filled  with  groups  of  inquirers, 
two  to  four  attending  to  the  instruction  of  men  and  women,  each 
of  their  own  sex ;  and  while  some  were  conversing,  other  groups 
were  kneeling  and  praying  in  a  low  tone.  Thousands  remained 
in  the  audience-room  praying  and  singing,  where  every  Chris- 
tian was  requested,  in  their  places,  to  speak  to  his  or  her  neigh- 
bor suitable  words,  if  they  had  no  hope  in  Christ.  I  spoke  to 
two  young  persons  near  me,  and  found  they  were  both  indulging 
hope. 

"  It  reminded  me-of  the  efforts  of  this  kind  in  the  early  days  of 
Brainerd  Church. 

"  Sometimes  the  scenes  of  1831  were  brought  vividly  before 
me,  and  I  have  a  conviction  that  the  means  used  by  Moody  and 
Sankey,  and  the  preaching,  are  very  like  those  so  much  blessed 
in  our  country  for  eight  or  ten  3^ears  subsequent  to  1825,  of  which 
probably  Mr.  Nettleton  was  the  most  prominent  author.  The 
same  pungent,  direct  manner  of  presenting  truth,  enforced  by 
apposite  illustrations,  v/hich  all  could  understand,  accompanied 
by  singing  of  hymns  containing  fundamental  truths,  in  melodious 


MIGHTY   LONDON    IS   BLESSED.  543 

and  simple  tunes,  nearly  the  whole  congregation  joining.  No 
doubt  you  will  recall  the  Village  Hymn  Book  compiled  by  Mr. 
Nettleton. 

"I  cannot  but  hope  this  is  the  beginning  of  a  new  era,  showing 
our  ministers  that,  as  Spurgeon  said  the  other  day  at  Exeter  Hall 
(referring  to  these  meetings),  he  had  no  fear  of  them,  for  the 
^  Bible  was  kept  in  the  front. ^ 

"  I  do  not  undervalue  learning,  but  it  must  be  kept  secondary 
to  the  Bible,  the  Sword  of  the  Spirit,  which  is  almost  the  only 
weapon  Moody  uses  with  so  much  effect. 

"  But  I  must  close,  though  I  have  not  said  half  I  might  on  this 
subject." 

It  must  be  conceded  that  this  was  the  most  wonderful  series  of 
revival  meetings  ever  held  in  the  world.  In  the  union  of  all 
God's  people  ;  in  the  mighty  but  perfectly  quiet  workings  of 
God's  Spirit ;  in  the  honor  put  upon  God's  simple  word ;  in  the 
dependence  put  upon  prayer,  and  the  simplest  agencies ;  in  the 
earnestness  with  which  Christians  labored,  and  the  liberality 
with  which  they  gave  their  money ;  in  the  multitudes  which 
everywhere  flocked  to  the  services ;  in  the  wide  extent  of  the 
work,  in  the  readiness  with  which  men  received  the  Gospel ;  in 
the  number  of  conversions ;  in  every  aspect  of  it,  the  movement 
is  without  a  parallel  in  the  history  of  Christianity.  It  seems  to 
betoken  a  world-wide  revival  of  religion. 

Sunday^  July  11. — Last  Day. — How  shall  we  write  of  it? 
Fresh  from  the  meeting  in  the  evening,  we  feel  how  inadequate 
are  human  words  to  portray  that  most  marv^elous  close  of  a  no 
less  marvelous  season  of  revival  throughout  our  land. 

The  doors  for  the  morning  service  were  opened  at  half-past 
six,  and  by  seven  o'clock  the  hall  was  comfortably  full.  An  hour 
yet  intervened  before  the  commencement  of  the  service,  and  the 
time  was  profitably  and  pleasantly  occupied  with  a  service  of  song 
from  the  familiar  book.  About  half-past  seven  it  was  announced 
that  there  were  thousands  outside,  some  of  them  from  a  great 
distance,  and  if  the  audience  would  kindly  sit  more  closely,  a  few 
hundreds  more  might  be  got  in.    The  request  was  good-naturedly 


544  MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    GREAT    BRITAIN. 

complied  with  at  once,  and  room  made  for  a  few  more.  For  the 
great  numbers  who  were  unable  to  get  admission,  an  overflow- 
meeting  was  held  in  the  Presbyterian  church  close  by,  and  was 
addressed  by  Dr.  A.  Bonar,  of  Glasgow. 

Shortly  before  eight  o'clock  Mr.  Sankey  a^Dpeared,  and  delighted 
the  audience  with  a  few  solos.  Before  singing  "  I  am  praying  for 
you,"  he  said  he  hoped  in  the  days  to  come  they  would  not  for- 
get to  pray  for  Mr.  Moody  and  himself  when  they  were  gone. 

In  consequence  of  the  crowd  at  the  gates,  Mr.  Moody  could 
not  gain  an  entrance,  and  had  to  be  conveyed  through  a  private 
house  opening  from  the  back  upon  the  site  of  the  building.  This 
delayed  the  opening  of  the  service  till  about  ten  minutes  past 
eight  o'clock — a  thing  altogether  unusual  at  these  gatherings,  as 
one  of  the  most  noticeable  features  of  them  has  been  the  punctu- 
ality observed  by  our  brethren. 

Mr.  Sankey  having  sung  "  Only  an  Armor-bearer,"  the  audi- 
ence swelling  out  in  the  chorus,  very  earnest  prayer  was  offered, 
making  special  reference  to  the  occasion. 

Mr.  Moody  then  delivered  his  well-known  address  on  "  Daniel," 
beginning  with  the  secret  of  his  wonderful  success,  which  he  at- 
tributed to  his  being  able  to  say  "  No  "  at  the  right  moment.  He 
sketched  the  eventful  career  of  this  man,  "beloved  of  God," 
through  the  reigns  of  Nebuchadnezzar,  Belshazzar,  and  Darius, 
showing  how  he  was  delivered  from  all  the  many  snares  laid  for 
him  by  his  enemies,  because  he  was  faithful  to  God  and  His  com- 
mandments. The  history  of  Daniel  in  the  telling  of  it  rouses  Mr. 
Moody's  enthusiasm,  which  he  succeeds  in  a  large  degree  in  im- 
parting to  the  audience,  and  many  thousands  of  hearts  were 
stirred  by  this  closing  address  to  Christian  workers.  Before  part- 
ing, we  sang  with  Mr.  Sankey  "  Dare  to  be  a  Daniel." 

The  afternoon  service  for  women  was  a  deeply  interesting  one, 
both  in  itself  and  from  the  fact  of  its  being  the  last  of  them.  The 
hall  was  crammed  in  every  corner.  The  opening  hymn  was 
"Yet  there  is  room,"  very  appropriate  to  the  occasion. 

All  through  his  mission  in  Great  Britain,  Mr.  Moody  has 
striven  to  make  the  Gospel  so  plain  as  to  be  understood  by  the 


MIGHTY    LONDON    IS    BLESSED. 


545 


meanest  comprehension.  He  has  avoided  collateral  issues  and 
eschewed  theological  discussions,  and  held  to  the  proclamation 
of  the  good  news  of  salvation  through  faith  in  a  crucified  and  risen 
Saviour.  One  of  his  favorite  texts  has  been  the  question  of  the 
jailer,  "  What  must  I  do  to  be  saved  ?  "  and  this  he  chose  for  his 
final  gospel  addresses  to  London  audiences.  Many  people,  he 
said,  still  disbelieved  in  sudden  conversion,  and  he  proceeded  to 
draw  from  the  treasury  of  Holy  Scripture  numerous  illustrations 
to  show  that  the  new  birth  is,  of  necessity,  an  instantaneous  act, 
and  not  a  gradual  change.  He  quoted  the  ark,  the  salvation  of 
Lot  from  Sodom,  the  preservation  of  the  children  of  Israel  in 
Egypt  by  sprinkling  the  blood  on  their  doors,  the  cities  of  refuge, 
and  others,  as  well  as  illustrations  from  history  and  from  daily 
life.  At  the  close  he  spoke  with  much  emotion  of  how  he  had 
tried  in  all  possible  ways  to  allure  sinners  to  Christ,  and  en- 
treated those  present  not  to  go  out  of  the  building  without  receiv- 
ing Christ  as  their  Saviour.  They  might  never  hear  his  and  Mr. 
Sankey's  voice  again  on  earth,  but  he  hoped  there  would  not  be 
one  missing  at  the  last  great  meeting.  Many  rose  in  response  to 
his  pressing  appeal  at  the  close,  and  the  inquiry-rooms  were 
afterward  the  scene  of  much  earnest  conversation  and  prayer  with 
the  crowds  of  anxious  sisters.  The  evening  meeting  for  men  was 
almost  filled  before  the  last  of  the  inquirers  and  workers  had  left 
the  building. 

The  last  meeting  of  all  will,  we  think,  be  reckoned,  by  those 
who  have  attended  the  London  meetings  throughout,  the  best  of 
all.  It  was  as  closely  packed  with  men  as  could  be ;  how  many 
were  left  outside  we  cannot  tell.  A  meeting  for  them  was  held 
in  the  Camberwell-green  Hall.  Mr.  Sankey  took  his  seat  at  the 
instrument  about  half  an  hour  before  the  time,  and  while  he  was 
singing  for  Jesus  to  the  eager  crowd  of  listeners,  Mr.  Moody  and 
a  few  friends  were  in  the  little  waiting-room  below,  supplicating 
God  for  a  Pentecostal  blessing  on  this  parting  service.  And  their 
prayer  was  answered  of  a  truth.  We  have  not  witnessed  such  a 
wondrous  scene  during  any  of  the  many  gatherings  these  last 
four  months  ;  the  only  approach  to  it  was  one  Sunday  after- 
noon at  a  women's  meeting  in  the  Opera  House. 


54^  MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN    GREAT    BRITAIN. 

Several  of  Mr.  Moody's  American  friends  were  present  to  wit- 
ness the  crowning  service  of  this  mission,  before  described. 

At  the  farewell  meeting  at  London,  of  the  700  and  odd  ministers 
who  were  present  at  this  memorable  gathering,  there  were  188  be- 
longing to  the  Church  of  England,  154  Congregationalists,  85 
Baptists,  81  Wesleyan  Methodists,  39  Presbyterians,  8  foreign  pas- 
tors, 8  United  Methodists,  7  Primitive  Methodists,  3  Plymouth 
Brethren,  2  Countess  of  Huntingdon's  Connection,  2  Society  of 
Friends,  3  Free  Church  of  England,  i  Bible  Christian,  and 
upward  of  20  not  known.  These  figures  we  take  from  the  official 
statement  supplied  at  the  meeting,  and  they  significantly  show 
the  catholic  and  unsectarian  character  of  Messrs.  Moody  and 
Sankey's  services,  as  well  as  the  universal  esteem  with  which  our 
evangelist  brethren  are  regarded  by  all  sections  of  the  Church  of 
Christ  in  this  country.  A  large  number  of  influential  laymen  and 
Christian  workers  were  present,  among  the  best  known  of  them 
being  Lord  Shaftesbury,  Lord  Cavan,  Mr.  Cowper-Temple^  M.  P., 
Mr.  Alderman  McArthur,  M.  P.,  Mr.  Samuel  Morley,  M.  P.,  etc. 

We  only  give  those  of  the  addresses  containing  interesting  facts 
and  statistics  relating  to  the  movement. 

Rev.  R.  D.  Wilson,  of  Craven  Chapel,  said  a  new  spiritual 
glow  had  come  into  the  hearts  of  many  during  the  last  four  months. 
They  had  learned,  too,  that  their  cherished  traditions  had  no 
more  sanctity  or  authority  about  them  than  the  new  things,  which 
startled  some  of  them  at  first,  but  with  which  they  had  now  become 
most  blessedly  familiar.  It  was  too  soon  to  speak  of  the  results 
as  a  whole,  but  within  the  last  three  days  he  had  met  no  less  than 
twelve  or  thirteen  distinct  cases  of  conversion  in  consequence  of 
the  ministrations  of  the  evangelists.  He  read  the  following  ex- 
tract from  a  letter  he  had  received  :  "  I  feel  it  my  duty  and  inex- 
pressible pleasure  to  tell  you  that  I  and  one  of  my  brothers  were 
converted  at  one  of  Mr.  Moody's  meetings  last  week.  Could  you 
know  my  inner  life  for  the  past  ten  years,  you  would  indeed  say 
I  have  been  plucked  like  a  brand  from  the  burning.  I  cannot 
cease  to  marvel  at  the  greatness  of  my  salvation."  The  mother 
of  that  young  lady,  said  the  speaker,  had  come  to  him  yesterday, 


MIGHTY    LONDON    IS    BLESSED. 


547 


and  stated  that  for  twenty-five  years,  with  few  exceptions,  she 
had  regularly  attended  the  service  of  the  sanctuar}^  but  the  hap- 
piest day  in  her  Christian  experience  was  the  previous  Sunda)^, 
when  she  sat  with  her  converted  daughter  on  her  right  hand  and 
a  converted  son  on  her  left.  As  the  speaker  told  this  affecting 
little  story,  we  felt  certain  that  the  tear  of  joy  gathered  in  many 
an  eye,  only  we  could  not  see  for  the  mist  that  came  across  our 
own.  He  went  on  to  say  that  we  had  never  known  what  it  was 
to  "  sing  the  Gospel "  of  Jesus  Christ  till  our  two  brethren  came. 
We  could  now  understand  how  the  sweetest  tones  could  become 
the  highest  sort  of  Christian  eloquence,  in  declaring  to  men  the 
Way  of  Life.  He  would  so  far  disobey  the  rule  that  no  reference 
was  to  be  made  to  the  two  evangelists,  as  to  assure  them  that 
they  would  carry  home  to  their  American  country  the  warmest 
love  and  heartiest  esteem  of  the  ministers  and  Christian  people 
of  this  country.  At  this  remark  the  pent-up  feelings  of  the  audi- 
ence could  no  longer  be  restrained,  and  they  burst  out  into  loud 
and  prolonged  applause.  We  were  extremely  glad  that  the  nat- 
ural emotions  of  the  congregation  for  once  refused  to  be  smoth- 
ered by  that  folse  and  frigid  idea  of  decorum  which  obtains  too 
much  in  our  religious  assemblies,  and  prevents  the  legitimate 
expression  of  the  deepest  feelings  of  the  heart.  But  this  is  a 
digression.  Mr.  Wilson  continued  :  "  We  shall  not  forget,  when 
the  Atlantic  lies  between  their  home  and  ours,  at  our  family  altar, 
at  the  place  of  secret  meeting  with  our  God,  in  our  prayer-meet- 
ings, and  in  our  Sabbath  assemblies,  to  pray  that  God's  richest 
blessing  may  rest  upon  them  there.  And  it  will  be  a  glad  day 
for  us  all,  if  ever  that  day  comes,  when  we  shall  hear  from  the 
other  side  of  the  Western  Main  the  intelligence  that  they  are 
coming  again.  Until  then  we  shall  continue  to  pray  that,  when 
God  sees  meet  that  they  should  come,  they  may  come  in  the  full- 
ness of  the  blessing  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ." 

Rev.  Thomas  Richardson,  of  St.  Benet's,  Stepney,  said  the 
effect  of  the  meetings  in  the  East  End  had  been  to  make  his 
church  and  congregation  "  enlarge  the  place  of  their  tent,  and 
stretch  forth  the  curtains  of  their  habitation."     He  would  rather 


548  MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN    GREAT    BRITAIN. 

wait  for  a  year  before  he  gave  his  testimony  as  to  results,  as  there 
were  many  reasons  why  they  should  not  now  begin  to  count. 
But  he  had  no  doubt  that  thousands  of  souls  would  be  recorded 
in  their  various  chapels  and  churches  all  over  London  by  next 
year.  His  district  visitors  had  sent  in  to  him  formal  returns, 
showing  that  of  i,oo8  families  in  his  parish,  672,  or  two  families 
out  of  every  three,  had  attended  the  services  at  Bow-road  Hall. 
Further,  he  had  two  direct  testimonies  that  the  attendances  at 
the  theatres  of  East  London  had  sensibly  diminished.  Some  of 
the  officials  of  these  theatres  had  given  up  the  profession,  and  he 
had  only  to-day  had  an  interview  with  one  who  was  starting  a 
different  course.  He  had  something  too  to  say  about  the  influ- 
ence of  the  movement  on  the  dock  laborers.  He  had  received 
testimony  from  several  of  the  large  docks  that  the  men  did  not 
swear  so  much  since  Messrs.  Moody  and  Sankey  came ;  praise 
God  for  that.  Besides,  drinking  was  not  so  prevalent  among  the 
dockmen,  and  that  was  the  kind  of  work  that  the  world  believed 
in.  He  had  been  privileged  to  attend  every  service  in  Bow-road 
Hall,  and  he  would  thank  God  to  all  eternity  for  it.  He  had  seen 
the  power  of  sympathy — that  sympathy  which  brought  Christ 
down  to  die  for  sinners.  Sinners  had  felt  its  power,  so  they  had 
stood  up  and  declared  they  wanted  to  be  saved.  He  had  had  the 
privilege  of  conversing  personally  with  450  anxious  souls;  his 
wife  had  spoken  to  150,  and  his  curate  had  spoken  to  100.  There 
were  thus  700  souls  whose  names  and  addresses  they  knew,  and 
to  whom  they  had  written.  Formerly,  he  had  an  after-meeting 
once  a  month ;  now  he  had  one  every  Sunday  evening,  and  not 
a  Sunday  passed  without  some  souls  being  gathered  in.  The 
direct  results  of  the  meetings  were  seen  in  his  church,  his  wife's 
Bible-class,  his  young  men's  meetings,  and  among  his  district 
visitors.  He  urged  the  general  adoption  of  the  after-meeting,  as 
being  the  key  to  the  success  of  the  services,  and  added  that  if  the 
Spirit  led  him  to  adopt  Mr.  Moody's  style  of  preaching  he  was 
going  to  do  it. 

Rev.  Robert  Taylor,  of  Norwood,  gave  some  intensely  interest- 
ing facts  respecting  what  had  transpired  in  the  inquiry-room  at 


MIGHTY   LONDON   IS    BLESSED.  549 

Camberwell-green  Hall.  He  had  to  do  what  Mr.  Moody  called 
"police  work"  there,  and  in  this  capacity  he  was  able  to  take  a 
general  view  of  the  inquirers  who,  night  after  night,  thronged  the 
rooms.  One  or  two  things  had  struck  him.  First,  the  large 
number  of  old  people  who  came  as  inquirers,  and  who  went  away 
as  very  young  Christians.  He  was  afraid  that,  in  their  anxiety 
to  shut  up  and  shut  in  the  young,  they  had  been  in  danger  of 
shutting  out  the  old.  They  had  fallen  into  the  unbelief  of  Nico- 
demus,  who  said,  "How  can  a  man  be  born  when  he  is  old?" 
But  many  blessed  births  of  the  old  had  been  seen  in  the  inquiry- 
room  at  Camberwell.  He  was  also  struck  with  the  amazing  vari- 
ety of  opinion — religious  opinion  and  no  opinion — represented. 
One  evening  he  gave  up  his  seat  in  the  hall  to  a  distinguished 
literary  man,  who  lately  wrote  that  "  there  was  a  Power  above  us 
that,  at  least,  we  know  to  be  working  for  righteousness."  One 
evening,  in  the  inquiry-room,  he  met  a  young  woman,  and  asked 
if  she  was  anxious.  Yes_,  to  know  if  there  was  a  God.  Did  she 
not  believe  it?  Well,  the  sum  of  her  belief  was  that  "there  was 
something  above  us."-  He  could  tell  of  a  wife,  deserted  by  her 
husband,  who  had  been  in  such  utter  misery  and  agony  that  she 
had  twice  contemplated  going  to  London-bridge  to  commit  sui- 
cide. In  that  inquiry-room  she  was  brought  to  faith  in  Jesus 
Christ  and  peace  with  God  through  the  preaching  and  singing. 
Afterward  she  prayed  so  beautifully  for  her  husband  that  the 
lady  who  conversed  with  her  was  deeply  touched  as  she  listened. 
She  did  not  pray  that  he  might  be  restored  to  her — now  she  did 
not  care  so  much  about  that — but  that  God  would  bring  him  to 
Himself,  and  that  they  might  be  reunited  in  heaven.  He  could 
tell  of  several  Roman  Catholics  brought  to  simple  faith  and  sweet 
peace  in  Jesus.  He  could  tell  of  a  man  who  for  twenty  minutes 
hid  his  face  from  the  lady  who  spoke  to  him,  so  deep  was  his  dis- 
tress and  shame.  He  afterward  told  her  how  he  was  standing  at 
St.  Giles's,  and  tossed  up  whether  he  should  go  to  the  theatre  or 
the  meeting.  It  was  "  Heads  the  theatre,  tails  Moody  and  San- 
key."  It  was  tails.  He  went  to  the  meeting,  was  led  to  go  into 
the  inquiry-room,  and,  as  he  described  it  in  a  letter  to  the  lady 


550  MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    GREAT    BRITAIN. 

who  was  the  means  of  bringing  him  into  light,  "She  fought  man- 
fully with  him  for  the  Lord  Jesus,"  and  he  went  home  a  rejoicing 
believer.  These  were  but  few  specimens  of  hundreds  of  cases  he 
could  quote,  and  when  friends  said  to  him  the  night  before,  with 
sad  hearts,  they  were  so  sorry  the  meetings  were  over,  he  could 
only  reply,  "Yes,  and  I  am  so  glad  the  work  is  so  gloriously 
begun." 

Rev.  G.  Flindt  of  Denmark-hill  also  spoke  of  the  work  in  the 
inquiry-room  at  Camberwell.  He  said  that  one  result  of  the  ser- 
vices had  been  to  increase  the  local  congregations.  In  his  own 
church  they  had,  on  several  occasions,  not  had  standing-room 
during  the  visit  of  the  evangelists.  He  had  learned  this  lesson  : 
that  if  the  ministry  is  to  be  useful,  a  personal  Christ  must  be 
lifted  up.  A  man  in  the  inquiry-room  had  said  to  him,  "It  seems 
as  if  that  man  (referring  to  Mr.  Moody)  had  his  Friend  quite 
close  to  him,  and  he  was  talking  about  him."  Only  eternity 
would  reveal  the  good  that  had  been  done  in  the  South  of  Lon- 
don. The  night  before,  at  the  closing  service,  there  were  scores 
of  anxious  ones  who  came  asking  if  it  was  possible  to  get  a  grip 
of  the  hands  of  the  evangelists,  and  thank  them  for  what  had  been 
told  them  about  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ ;  and  tears  of  gladness 
flowed  down  many  a  furrowed  cheek  when  they  were  asked  to  go 
home  and  tell  God  all  about  it,  and  thank  Him  for  the  messen- 
gers He  had  sent.  One  remarkable  circumstance  in  connection 
with  the  Camberwell  services  had  been  in  the  attendance  of  a 
number  of  medical  students  from  the  various  hospitals.  Some  of 
the  medical  men  in  the  neighborhood  had  found  time  and  oppor- 
tunity to  invite  them  to  their  houses  to  dine,  and  afterward  had 
spoken  to  them  about  salvation.  If  only  half  a  dozen  young  stu- 
dents were  brought  to  Christ,  what  might  not  be  the  result  when 
they  were  attending  the  sick-beds  of  those  who  should  be  com- 
mitted to  their  care  ?  The  South  London  committee  were  one 
hundred  strong,  and  they  were  going,  by  God's  grace,  to  work 
shoulder  to  shoulder  and  hand  to  hand  in  this  blessed  work. 

Rev.  Marcus  Rainsford  said  he  felt  we  w^ere  living  in  days 
which  many  had  looked  and  longed  for,  but  had  not  seen.     He 


MIGHTY   LONDON    IS    BLESSED.  55 1 

thought  that  God  had  been  working  much  more  with  the  masses 
than  the  ministers.  For  his  own  part,  he  had  learned  much 
since  Messrs.  Moody  and  Sankey  came  to  London.  Many  pre- 
judices had  been  broken  down,  many  difficulties  removed,  and 
many  a  lesson  learned  that  he  would  never  forget.  He  had  been 
taught  by  a  costermonger  how  to  preach  the  Gospel.  He  was 
talking  to  a  costermonger  one  evening,  and  trying  to  show  him 
the  great  salvation,  when  a  bright-looking  young  fellow  came  up 
and  quietly  put  him  aside,  saying,  "  Sir,  I  found  Christ  last  week  ; 
I  think  I  can  talk  to  this  man  better  than  you."  "  Well,  let  us 
hear  what  you  have  to  say."  "  I  never  heard  such  lingo,"  said 
Mr.  Rainsford.  "  Now,  Joe,  s'pose  it  was  all  up  wi'  yer  ;  mother 
starvin',  wife  starvin',  children  starvin',  and  the  mackerel  no- 
where. S'pose  I  see  yer  lookin'  very  pale  and  sad  and  miserable ; 
and,  says  I,  '  Joe,  here's  a  fat  half  for  you.'  "  (I  wondered  what 
that  was,  but  the  other  seemed  to  know  all  about  it.)  "  I  give 
it  yer  with  all  my  heart.  Away  you  go  to  Billingsgate  and  spend 
the  fat  half."  (It  means  half  a  sovereign,  and  a  sixpence  means 
a  "  thin  half.")  "  You  get  the  mackerel,  and  bring  it  home  ; 
you  get  the  money,  and  you  bring  home  some  bread ;  yes, 
there  it  be  at  home  ;  now  what  would  you  say?  "  "I  would  say, 
'  Thank  you  ;  God  bless  you ! '  "  "  Well,  say  that  to  Christ,  for 
He  didn't  give  you  the  fot  half,  but  the  whole."  And  that  was 
the  Gospel  as  ably  and  spiritually  preached,  and  as  blessedly 
preached,  as  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury  could  preach  it. 
After  some  further  striking  experiences,  he  expressed  a  hope 
that  the  work  would  go  on  after  our  brethren  had  left,  and  that 
many  would  be  found  to  imitate  their  example  in  telling  of  Jesus 
to  all  around. 

The  Earl  of  Shaftesbury  said,  nothing  but  the  positive  command 
of  Mr.  Moody  would  have  induced  him  to  come  forward  on  the 
present  occasion  and  say  but  a  few  words  in  the  presence  of  so 
many  ministers  of  the  Gospel.  But  as  Mr.  Moody  had  asked 
him  to  speak  of  what  had  occurred  during  the  past  four  months, 
he  did  so  with  the  deepest  sense  of  gratitude  to  Almighty  God 
that  he  had  raised  up  a  man  with  such  a  message  and  to  be  de- 


552  MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN    GREAT    BRITAIN. 

livered  in  such  a  manner.  And  though  Mr.  Moody  said  they 
were  not  to  praise  him  or  his  friend  Mr.  Sankey,  yet  if  they 
praised  God  for  sending  them  such  men  as  these,  they  did  no 
more  than  express  their  admiration  of  the  instruments  that  He 
had  raised  up,  while  they  gave  Him  all  the  glory.  He  had  been 
conversant  for  many  years  with  the  people  of  this  metropolis,  and 
he  might  tell  them  that  wherever  he  went  he  found  the  traces  of 
these  men,  of  the  impression  they  had  made,  of  the  feeling  they 
had  produced,  and  of  the  stamp  that  he  hoped  would  be  indelible 
on  many  of  the  people.  He  could  speak  that  as  the  truth  as  to 
many  parts  of  London,  and  the  lowest  parts  of  London.  Only  a 
few  days  ago  he  received  a  letter  from  a  friend  of  his,  a  man 
whose  whole  life  was  given  to  going  among  the  most  wretched 
and  the  most  abandoned  of  the  populous  city  of  Manchester,  and 
who  spoke  of  the  good  that  had  been  effected  there  by  the  preach- 
ing of  Moody  and  Sankey.  A  correspondent  in  Sheffield  had 
also  written  him  that  he  could  not  satisfy  in  any  degree  the  wants 
of  the  people  ;  that  they  were  calling  out  for  tracts  and  something 
that  should  keep  up  the  appetite  that  had  been  created.  He 
said,  "  For  God's  sake,  send  me  tracts  by  thousands  and  mil- 
lions ! "  Even  if  Messrs.  Moody  and  Sankey  had  done  nothing 
more  than  to  teach  the  people  to  sing  as  they  did  with  energy 
and  expression,  such  hymns  as  "  Hold  the  fort,  for  I  am  coming," 
they  would  have  conferred  an  inestimable  blessing. 

Mr.  Sankey  then  sang  the  hymn  commencing,  "  There  were 
ninety  and  nine  that  safely  lay,"  after  which  he  said  that  when 
they  got  to  their  own  country  they  would  often  sing  this  hymn 
again,  and  they  trusted  that  God's  blessing  would  accompany  the 
singing  of  it.  They  asked  their  friends  here  to  pray  for  them, 
and  that  the  Lord  would  continue  to  bless  them.  They  would  be 
glad  to  hear  from  their  friends  here,  and  they  trusted  to  hear  that 
the  work  was  going  on. 

Mr.  Moody  said  he  would  ask  them  to  spend  a  few  moments 
in  silent  prayer,  but  before  they  did  so,  he  begged  to  thank  the 
ministers  for  the  sympathy  they  had  shown  them  in  the  past  two 
years.      They  had  had  nothing  but  kindness  shown  them.     He 


MIGHTY    LONDON    IS    BLESSED.  553 

also  wished  publicly  to  thank  the  committee,  and  also  the  stew- 
ards, who  had  manifested  toward  them  nothing  but  kindness. 
He  had  also  to  thank  the  reporters  for  the  press.  He  knew  that 
he  had  made  mistakes,  but  they  had  not  reported  his  mistakes  or 
his  failings.  In  fact,  they  had  all  been  kind.  He  also  wished 
to  thank  the  police  for  the  considerate  manner  in  which  they  had 
performed  their  duty.  He  had  one  favor  to  ask  of  them — he 
would  not  ask  them  to  pass  a  resolution,  for  their  hearts  were 
worth  more  than  a  resolution — he  asked  them  to  pray  for  them, 
and  to  continue  to  pray  for  them  as  they  had  done  for  the  last 
two  years.  He  now  asked  them  to  pray  for  a  short  time  in 
silence. 

The  congregation  then  bowed  their  heads,  and,  after  the  lapse 
of  two  or  three  minutes,  audible  prayer  was  offered,  after  which 
Messrs.  Moody  and  Sankey  hastily  retired,  in  order  to  escape 
the  painful  ordeal  of  bidding  so  many  of  their  friends  a  formal 
j^^^d-bye. 


CHAPTER  XXXVL 
Farewell  in  Liverpool. 

Turning  reluctantly  away  from  London  where  they  had  tri- 
umphed '  gloriously  under  the  Great  Captain  Christ,  they  were 
received  at  the  place  of  final  departure  from  Great  Britain,  in  the 
following  manner  : 

About  a  quarter  to  three  o'clock,  Messrs.  Moody  and  Sankey, 
with  many  well-known  friends,  were  greeted  by  an  audience  that 
crowded  every  nook  and  corner  of  the  Victoria  Hall.  The 
heartiness  of  the  welcome  found  vent  in  a  universal  clapping  of 
hands,  which,  however,  Mr.  Moody  speedily  stopped  by  a  wave 
of  his  hand.  Some  kind  friends  had  placed  very  beautiful  bou- 
quets of  flowers  on  Mr.  Sankey's  organ. 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Aitken  said  he  thought  they  could  not  meet  in 
that  hall  without  feeling  that  the  departure  of  their  dear  friends 
for  America  very  greatly  enhanced  the  personal  responsibility 
of  all  who  called  themselves  Christians.  The  blessing  which 
God  had  been  pleased  to  shower  upon  His  work  in  various  parts 
of  the  land  had  put  them  on  a  vantage-ground,  for  they  occupied 
a  better  position  now  than  they  ever  occupied  before  in  this  land. 
He  did  not  believe  that  the  Church  of  Christ  had  ever  occupied 
a  better  position  in  this  land  than  it  did  at  the  present  moment ; 
and  if  that  was  so,  their  responsibility  must  be  proportionately 
heavy.  And  if  they  allowed  themselves  to  lose  their  vantage- 
ground  and  slip  back  into  the  dull  routine  of  the  past,  they  would 
have  themselves  to  blame.    The  question  before  them  was  a  very 


FAREWELL    IN    LIVERPOOL.  555 

practical  one,  and  it  was,  How  were  they  to  push  on  the  advan- 
tage ?  If  they  were  really  to  avail  themselves  of  the  opportunity, 
they  must  expect  further  successes.  He  was  apprehensive  of 
Christian  people  allowing  themselves  to  think  that  the  period 
of  reaction  had  come — that  they  had  been  having  such  great 
encouragement  that  for  a  little  time  they  must  rest  on  their  oars. 
If  they  placed  themselves  in  this  attitude,  they  would  have  them- 
selves to  thank  for  it,  if  God  turned  the  heavens  above. into 
brass,  and  made  the  earth  as  iron  beneath  their  feet ;  therefore 
he  felt  it  incumbent  upon  him  to  sound  this  note  of  warning. 
He  thought  that  their  attitude  should  be  this :  That  they  should 
thank  God,  and  then  rush  on  against  the  foe  with  fresh  determi- 
nation, believing  that  the  victory  was  only  commencing,  and  that 
inasmuch  as  God  had  given  them  a  position  of  advantage,  they 
must  push  it  on  and  fight  the  battle  out,  until  God  in  his  own 
good  time  placed  the  crown  of  victory  on  their  brow. 

How  was  this  to  be  done  ?  God  expected  every  one  of  them  to 
come  forward  with  the  gospel  of  grace  in  their  hearts  ;  and  if  they 
realized  their  personal  responsibility  and  went  into  the  battle 
fully  determined  to  win  souls  for  Christ,  England  would  very 
soon  feel  the  results  of  their  efforts.  He  desired  to  warn  them 
against  this  season  of  revival  being  followed  by  a  period  of  reac- 
tion. Before  the  present  work  closed,  he  thought  that  minis- 
ters of  Christ,  and  also  lay  people,  especially  those  who  occupied 
influential  positions,  should  ask  themselves  solemnly  what  were 
the  permanent  lessons  which  had  been  brought  before  them  in 
this  great  movement.  Mr.  Moody  had  given  himself  up  to  the 
work  of  evangelization,  and  he  (Mr.  Aitken)  could  not  help 
believing  that  the  Church  of  Christ  from  a  very  remote  period 
had  practically  ignored  the  evangelist's  office.  They  had  their 
local  pastors,  but  he  thought  that  the  evangelist  was  more  likely 
to  be  powerful  in  a  locality  where  he  was  not  permanently  fixed 
than  in  his  own  country.  If  they  were  desirous  to  see  God's 
work  still  carried  on  on  a  large  scale,  those  whom  God  had  in  a 
large  measure  gifted  with  the  power  of  the  evangelist  should  con- 
sider whether  they  could  give  themselves  entirely  to  the  work. 


556  MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN    GREAT    BRITAIN. 

He  had  done  so,  but  he  utterly  disclaimed  all  credit  on  that  score. 
He  did  not  think  he  should  have  had  the  courage  to  take  that 
step,  but  domestic  circumstances  had  rendered  it  imperatively 
necessary  that  he  should  leave  his  flock  in  Liverpool.  He  had, 
however,  long  been  convinced  of  this  truth,  that  if  a  man  was  to 
be  a  practical  evangelist,  he  must  give  himself  over  to  the  work ; 
and  he  called  upon  God's  people  to  take  this  matter  into  serious 
consideration,  and  say  that  the  great  work  which  had  been  under- 
taken must  be  followed  up  in  all  our  towns  and  villages,  for  he 
believed  that  even  the  villages  needed  it  more  than  the  towns. 

A  great  responsibility  also  rested  on  the  ministers  of  Christ. 
In  almost  ail  the  places  where  the  wave  of  blessing  had  passed, 
there  would  be  a  large  number  of  young  converts  who  had  given 
themselves  over  to  God  and  wanted  something  to  do.  Their  duty 
at  this  moment  was  to  set  all  those  young  Christians  to  work. 
There  were  a  great  many  ministers  who  fell  into  the  mistake  of 
.trying  to  do  all  the  work  themselves.  What  was  wanted  to  be 
done  was  to  find  speoific  spiritual  work  for  those  who  had  given 
themselves  to  God,  and  encourage  them  ;  and  he  wished  to  point 
out  that  unless  this  was  done  they  must  be  the  last  persons  to 
find  fault  with  those  extravagances  which  otherwise  must  develop 
themselves.  If,  instead  of  young  converts  being  taken  by  the 
hand,  they  were  left  in  the  rear  and  not  given  any  kind  of  encour- 
agement, the  result  would  be  that  they  would  either  draw  themselves 
up  in  their  shells  altogether,  or  rush  into  the  opposite  extreme. 

It  seemed  to  him  that  now  was  the  golden  opportunity  ;  and 
unless  they  got  their  young  Christians  to  work,  they  would  have 
to  regret  it  to  the  end  of  their  days.  If,  after  the  departure  of 
their  American  brethren,  they  resolved  to  have  a  holiday  tinie  of 
it,  then  good-bye  to  their  usefulness,  and  God's  blight  would  rest 
upon  them  instead  of  God's  blessing ;  whereas,  if  they  put  them- 
selves into  God's  hands,  depend  upon  it  this  wave  of  blessing 
which  had  swept  over  the  land  was  but  the  beginning  of  good 
things.  He  closed  his  stirring  and  practical  address  in  the 
words  of  Wesley,  which,  he  said,  used  to  be  sung  at  the  close  of 
his  conferences : 


FAREWELL    IN    LIVERPOOL.  557 

"  A  rill,  a  stream,  a  torrent  flows, 
But  send  the  mighty  flood  ; 
Awake  the  nations,  shake  the  earth, 
Till  all  proclaim  Thee  God." 

The  Rev.  A.  N.  Somerville  spoke  next,  and  it  is  not  too  much 
to  say  that  the  meeting  was  fairly  electrified  as  "  the  old  man 
eloquent "  poured  out  the  wealth  of  his  declamation  and  illustra- 
tion in  a  perfect  torrent  of  burning  words,  accompanied  by  highly 
dramatic  and  expressive  gestures.  He  said  Messrs.  Moody  and 
Sankey  did  not  want  them  to  occupy  time  by  throwing  their 
arms  around  their  necks  and  kissing  them,  but  they  had  given 
them  the  motto,  and  that  was  to  "  advance."  What,  he  asked,  is 
our  great  encouragement.-'  "All  power  is  given  unto  me  in 
heaven  and  earth ;  go  ye  therefore  and  teach  (or  disciple)  all  na- 
tions." Just  before  Christ  ascended,  He  said,  "  Ye  shall  receive 
power  after  that  the  Holy  Ghost  is  come  upon  you,  and  ye  shall 
be  witnesses  unto  me  in  Judea  and  Jerusalem,  and  unto  the  ut- 
termost ends  of  the  earth."  Why  did  the  Lord  Jesus  tell  us  He 
had  received  all  power  ?  That  He  might  confer  power  upon  us. 
Mr.  Somerville  recounted  the  exploits  of  the  mighty  men  in  the 
days  of  the  Judges,  upon  whom  the  power  of  God  fell,  and  pro- 
ceeded. The  day  has  come  when  it  will  not  do  for  us  to  remain 
within  this  little  isle.  Larger  efforts  must  be  made  to  proclaim 
Christ's  name  throughout  the  world.  We  read  that  Alexander 
the  Great,  while  a  young  man  (he  died  before  he  was  thirty-two), 
crossed  the  Hellespont  with  only  35,000  infantry  and  5,000  horse- 
men. He  had  provisions  and  money  to  last  them  only  one  month, 
yet  they  went  forth  and  took  possession  of  the  world.  What !  Is 
Alexander  the  Great  to  be  always  spoken  of  as  the  only  man  w!iO 
can  do  the  like  of  this }  Is  Jesus  Christ  not  strong  ?  Why 
should  we  not  gather  round  Him,  and  in  the  power  of  His  ^^jirit 
take  possession  of  the  world  ?  We  must  not  only  send  out  men 
to  engage  in  this  blessed  work,  but  the  whole  Church  must,  by 
prayer  and  sympathy,  by  the  voice  of  encouragement,  and  by  lib- 
eral support,  work  together  as  one  man  for  this  great  end.  When 
I  was  in  India,  I  felt  that  wherever  I  went  I  was  borne  up  by  the 


558  MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN    GREAT    BRITAIN. 

sympathy  and  prayers  of  many  dear  friends  in  my  own  city  of 
Glasgow,  in  Edinburgh,  in  London,  and  in  many  parts  of  the 
world  besides,  and  I  was  strong  through  their  sympathy.  If  a 
man  is  sympathized  with  and  encouraged  in  that  way,  he  will  do 
twice  as  much  as  he  would  do  otherwise.  Mr.  Somerville  illus- 
trated the  power  of  sympathy  by  telling  how  Alexander  the  Great 
was  traversing  a  desert  with  his  followers,  who  were  suffering 
greatly  from  thirst.  Some  one  brought  him  a  little  water  in  a 
helmet,  and  as  he  was  about  to  partake  of  the  precious  refresh- 
ment, he  looked  toward  his  followers,  and  seeing  their  sufferings, 
he  refused  to  drink.  His  men  were  roused  to  action  by  the  sym- 
pathy thus  shown  by  their  leader ;  they  put  their  spurs  to  their 
horses,  and  sped  on  to  a  place  where  relief  could  be  found. 
Speaking  of  the  necessity  of  humility  in  Christian  work,  he  quoted 
a  beautifully  apt  simile,  in  the  use  of  which  he  seems  to  excel.  He 
said  the  Rhine,  before  it  reached  Basle,  received  no  fewer  than 
1,200  tributaries.  How  was  this  ?  It  was  l^y  keeping  at  its  lowest 
level.  If  it  had  not,  these  streams  would  have  flowed  somewhere 
else.  He  roused  the  audience  to  such  a  pitch  of  excitement, 
that  when  he  sat  down  they  burst  into  applause,  which  no  at- 
tempt was  made  to  suppress. 

Mr.  Sankey  then  sang  "  My  Prayer,"  a  beautiful  hymn  of  con- 
secration. He  prefaced  it  by  saying  that  he  would  be  able  to  go 
out  and  work  better  if  we  had  the  blessing  of  which  the  hymn 
told. 

Dr.  Barnardo  then  gave  an  address,  in  the  course  of  which  he 
said  the  question  was  frequently  asked,  "  How  shall  we  reach 
the  masses  ? "  He  knew  only  of  one  answer :  "  Go  and  preach 
Christ  to  them."  That  must  be  the  bait ;  but  there  must  be 
something  more  than  that.  Not  only  must  they  preach  Christ  in 
His  boundless  love  to  a  dying  world,  but  there  must  be  the  hook 
— such  an  application  of  the  truth  as  should  enter  men's  hearts 
and  draw  them  to  the  Saviour.  What  was  the  great  prerequisite 
to  success  ?  It  was  given  in  the  two  words  of  our  Saviour,  "  Fol- 
low me."  That  was  the  secret  of  successful  service  :  there  was 
no  royal  road ;    their  brother  Mr.  Moody  had  no  knack  in  it. 


FAREWELL    IN    LIVERPOOL 


559 


God  help  them  to  follow  Christ,  that  they  may  be  truly  fishers 
of  men. 

Mr.  Stalker,  of  Edinburgh,  said  he  felt  that  the  past  two  years 
had  been  years  of  great  importance  to  the  whole  country,  and 
would  be  remembered  for  many  years  to  come  as  great  years. 
One  thing  that  had  made  them  interesting  and  memorable  was 
that  religion  had  been  made  respected  among  the  young  men  of 
the  country.  Young  men  had  been  apt  to  look  down  upon  evan- 
gelical religion  ;  but  in  the  part  he  came  from  they  dared  not  do 
that  now,  because,  in  all  classes  of  the  community,  the  very  back- 
bone of  these  young  men  had  been  won  to  Christ,  and  they  were 
bearing  themselves  so  in  the  ordinary  business  of  life  that  it  was 
impossible  for  those  around  them  not  to  respect  them.  He  never 
thought  of  this  movement  without  his  mind  wandering  away  into 
the  future ;  and  he  thought  not  only  of  the  number  of  men  who 
had  been  saved,  but  of  the  young  men  who  were  devoted  to 
Christ  going  on  in  their  various  spheres — in  the  family,  in  social 
intercourse,  in  business,  at  the  university,  in  their  shops,  as 
clerks,  and  in  all  the  different  walks  in  life — distinguishing  them- 
selves, and  showing  that  their  Christianity,  instead  of  keepitig 
them  back,  was  helping  them  on  ;  that  their  spiritual  regenera- 
tion had  been  at  the  same  time  moral  and  intellectual  regenera- 
tion ;  and  that  they  were  determined  to  be  men  in  all  the  depart- 
ments of  life.  He  read  often  with  pity  the  remarks  made  by 
some,  of  the  weakness  of  those  who  took  part  in  this  movement. 
At  the  University  of  Edinburgh  last  April,  there  were  only  six  or 
seven  men  who  secured  first-class  honors,  and  three  of  these 
were  head  and  shoulders  in  this  work.  Only  one  man  got  what 
was  called  a  "double  first,"  and  that  man  he  had  heard  address- 
ing these  revival  meetings.  That  was  the  kind  ot  revival  of  reli- 
gion they  were  having  now  ;  and  he  thanked  God  for  it  -vith  all 
his  heart,  for  their  preaching  to  young  men  was  far  more  effect've 
if  they  could  show  them  that  their  religion  was  making  them  get 
on  well  in  business,  and  do  their  business  well,  and  come  to  the 
front  in  the  ordinary  walks  of  life.  Let  them  seek  to  serve  God 
by  doing  their  work  thoroughly,  and  at  the  same  time,  standing 


560  MOODY   AND   SANKEY    IN    GREAT    BRITAIN. 

on  that  vantage  ground,  exhort  all  their  brethren  to  get  that 
which  had  made  men  of  them. 

At  the  evening  meeting,  Mr.  Moody  sooke  of  Thanksgiving 
Day  in  America,  the  observance  of  which  brings  all  the  scattered 
members  of  the  household  together.  We  were  strongly  reminded 
of  this  by  the  great  gathering  of  friends  who  had  come  from  far- 
off  parts  of  the  country  to  be  present  at  the  farewell  services  and 
departure  next  day.  Many  who  had  taken  an  active  part  in  the 
London  services  came  down  expressly  to  say  good-bye  to  their 
evangelist  brethren,  and  not  a  few  had  come  from  across  the 
border,  as  well  as  the  other  English  towns. 

We  have  seldom  had  to  record  anything  else  but  crowded 
meetings  in  connection  with  Messrs.  Moody  and  Sankey's  ser- 
vices, but  this  last  evening  meeting  of  all  must  have  been — if  that 
were  possible — more  crowded  than  any.  As  one  of  the  local 
papers  of  next  day  puts  it :  "  Every  inch  of  space  where  a  person 
could  sit,  or  stand,  or  crouch,  was  occupied." 

Mr.  Sankey  sang  "  I  am  praying  for  you,"  and  before  doing  so 
he  said :  "  When  we  are  gone  from  among  you,  we  hope  that  you 
will  remember  to  pray  for  us,  as  we  will  surely  remember  to  pray 
for  you.  Pray  God  that  He  may  use  us  in  our  own  dear  land  as 
He  has  used  us  here,  and  even  more  abundantly.  May  the  bless- 
ing of  God  rest  upon  the  singing  of  this  hymn  to-night." 

Mr.  Moody  then  commenced  his  address,  and  spoke  for  more 
than  an  hour,  but  to  the  very  last  there  was  the  most  rapt  atten- 
tion. By  some  means  the  gas  could  not  be  lit,  and  as  the  fading 
twilight  deepened  into  darkness  the  scene  became  intensely  sol- 
emn, as  Mr.  Moody's  earnest  and  sometimes  faltering  words  fell 
on  the  hushed  and  eagerly  attentive  multitude.  At  the  close  of 
his  address  he  offered  fervent  prayer.  He  besought  God's  bless- 
ing on  England  and  America,  on  the  work  among  the  young  men, 
and  on  the  ministers,  his  utterances  anon  being  stayed  by  his 
evident  emotion. 

Mr.  Sankey's  voice  found  expression  for  the  last  time  in  the 
farewell  hymn  which  he  has  sung  at  many  of  the  towns  visited, 
though  not  in  London.     As  Mr.  Sankey  sang  it,  by  the  light  of  a 


FAREWELL    IN    LIVERPOOL.  56 1 

candle,  to  the  justly  popular  tune  of  "  Home,  Sweet  Home,*^  the 
audience  was  much  moved.  It  was  the  last  time  many  of  them 
will  probably  hear  Mr.  Sankey's  voice,  and  we  are  sure  none  of 
those  present  will  be  able  to  forget  it. 

On  Tuesday  evening,  after  the  general  meeting,  a  few  friends 
gathered  at  the  Compton  Hotel,  and  two  or  three  hours  were 
spent  in  an  informal  conversation  on  the  subject  always  upper- 
most in  Mr.  Moody's  thoughts — the  best  way  to  benefit  young 
men — to  conserve  and  utilize  in  the  way  of  righteousness,  for  the 
glory  of  God  and  the  good  of  men,  the  young  manhood  of  Great 
Britain,  America,  and  the  world. 

We  believe  that  if  one  thing  more  than  another  will  induce  Mr. 
Moody  to  return  to  Great  Britain,  it  will  be  the  desire  to  weld 
together  its  Christian  young  men  into  a  band  of  fellow-laborers, 
that,  by  the  operation  of  the  Spirit  of  God,  shall  be  in  the  midst 
of  many  peoples  as  a  dew  from  the  Lord,  and  as  a  lion  among 
the  beasts  of  the  forest.  And  to  tell  the  truth,  we  expect  that  it 
will  not  be  years  before  we  see  our  brethren  again  among  us. 

The  last  service  in  England  was  held  by  Mr.  Moody  on  the 
morning  of  their  departure,  so  that  we  may  say  they  left  our 
shores  "  with  their  harness  on  their  backs."  Mr.  Sankey  was  not 
present. 

The  hall  was  opened  at  seven  o'clock,  by  which  time  consider- 
able crowds  had  gathered  at  all  the  doors,  and  before  Mr.  Moody 
made  his  appearance  at  twenty  minutes  past  seven  there  were 
some  5,000  or  6,000  persons  in  the  hall.  After  praise  and  prayer, 
Mr.  Moody  read  part  of  the  first  chapter  of  Joshua  and  twenty- 
sixth  chapter  of  Leviticus.  He  proceeded  to  give  a  short  address 
to  the  young  men,  the  first  part  of  which  was  an  earnest  plea  for 
a  systematic  study  of  the  Bible  and  Bible  characters,  and  for  union 
with  some  organized  body  of  Christians.  He  also  urged  on  them 
the  necessity  of  having  some  definite  work  to  do,  and  not  to  at- 
tempt too  many  things  at  one  time.  "  I  have  been  wonderfully 
cheered,"  he  continued,  "during  the  past  months  by  the  tidings 
coming  from  Liverpool.  I  want  to  say  from  the  depths  of  my 
heart,  God  bless  you,  young  men.     The  eyes  of  Christendom  are 


562  MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN    GREAT    BRITAIN. 

upon  you.  Perhaps  there  has  not  been  a  place  where  the  work 
has  been  so  deep  and  thorough  as  the  work  here  aniong  the 
young  men.  I  believe  it  was  in  answer  to  the  prayers  that  went 
up  for  it  when  we  were  here  six  months  ago.  And  now,  as  we 
cross  the  Atlantic,  it  will  cheer  us  as  tidings  come  that  the  young 
men  are  still  advancing.  Do  not  fold  your  arms  and  say,  '  We 
will  have  a  good  time  next  fall.'  God  is  just  as  ready  to  work  in 
August  as  in  July.  If  some  have  gone  out  of  town  on  their  holi- 
days, the  work  should  not  stop ;  I  think  it  is  the  best  time  to 
work  when  many  are  away.  Every  man  ought  to  be  worth  the 
five  or  six  that  are  away.  Then  the  work  will  go  on.  The  great 
revival  at  Pentecost  was  in  the  hot  weather,  and  also  in  a  very 
hot  country.  People  think  there  cannot  be  any  interest  in  the 
warm  months ;  but  if  the  prayer  goes  up  to  the  throne,  God  does 
not  look  to  see  what  month  it  is.  He  is  as  ready  to  bless  in  one 
month  as  in  another.  Let  me  give  you  the  watchword  we  had 
yesterday  afternoon — '  Advance.'  I  hope  there  will  be  a  fresh 
interest  awakened  in  Liverpool  as  there  has  been  in  Manchester. 
I  do  not  know  of  anything  that  has  encouraged  me  more  than  to 
hear  of  the  work  going  on  in  Manchester  for  the  last  six  weeks. 
I  hope  Liverpool  and  Manchester  will  shake  hands  in  carrying 
on  the  work,  and  let  the  lies  of  those  skeptics  who  say  it  is  only 
*  a  nine  days'  wonder  '  be  driven  back.  I  cannot  talk  longer.  I 
say  from  the  depths  of  my  heart,  I  love  you ;  God  bless  you,  and 
may  the  power  of  God  come  upon  you  this  morning  afresh." 

After  the  hymn,  "Free  from  the  law,"  had  been  sung,  Mr. 
Alexander  Balfour  said,  "  I  do  not  know  whether  I  am  the  proper 
person  on  behalf  of  this  audience  to  say  good-bye  to  our  dear 
friend,  Mr.  Moody,  and  our  absent  friend,  Mr.  Sankey ;  but  I  feel 
that  there  must  be  some  mouthpiece  to  say  to  them  what  we 
really  do  feel.  We  thank  them  froni  the  bottom  of  our  hearts  and 
souls  for  what  they  have  come  here  and  done.  Unless  Mr.  Moody 
had  been  a  man  like  a  cannon-ball  for  hardness  of  material,  for 
directness  of  aim,  and  for  strength  of  will,  he  could  never  have  done 
what  he  has  been  privileged  by  God  to  do.  His  wisdom  has  been 
conspicuous  in  discovering  this — that  our  young  men  in  Liverpool 


FAREWELL    IN    LIVERPOOL  563 

and  elsewhere  in  this  country  have  been  greatly  neglected,  and  in 
choosing  them  to  be,  for  the  future,  not  merely  the  recipients 
of  God's  grace,  but  the  distributors  of  it.  I  do  feel  that  Mr. 
Moody,  in  having  given  so  much  attention  to  our  young  men,  has 
really  done  the  right  thing.  Many  know  that  Liverpool  has  been 
a  curse  to  young  men.  They  have  come  here  and  been  led  astray 
into  all  kinds  of  mischief  and  wickedness.  How  many  broken 
hearts  are  there  in  this  country  because  of  the  mischief  done  to 
young  men  in  Liverpool !  On  behalf  of  the  mothers  and  sisters 
of  this  country,  I  want  to  give  Mr.  Moody  the  most  heartfelt  vote 
of  thanks  that  it  is  in  my  power  to  convey ;  and  on  behalf  of  thou- 
sands who  shall  be  influenced  by  the  young  men  in  Liverpool,  I 
want  to  convey  to  him  the  tribute  of  gratitude  for  what  he  has 
done.  As  President  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association, 
I  want  to  say  this  :  That  it  is  our  purpose  as  young  men  to  go  on 
with  the  work ;  and,  by  God's  grace,  we  shall  not  go  back,  but 
advance  in  our  endeavor  to  do  our  duty  before  God  and  men." 

Mr.  Moody,  in  reply,  simply  said,  "  I  will  now  shake  hands  with 
you  all  in  the  person  of  the  President  of  the  Association  "j  and 
the  meeting  having  been  closed,  he  returned  to  the  Compton 
Hotel,  surrounded  by  a  large  crowd,  which  sang,  "Hold  the 
fort,"  and  the  "  Doxology "  in  the  street  in  front  of  the  hotel. 
Many  of  them  lingered  there  during  the  hour  and  a  half  that 
elapsed  before  Mr.  Moody,  Mrs.  Moody,  and  family,  accompan- 
ied by  a  large  number  of  friends,  drove  away  to  the  landing-stage. 
They  were  followed  by  the  enthusiastic  cheers  of  the  assembled 
multitude.  Mr.  Sankey  stayed  at  the  residence  of  a  friend,  and 
so  escaped  much  of  the  popular  attention  that  Mr.  Moody  had  to 
undergo. 

A  special  tender  was  provided  for  the  conveyance  of  the  evan- 
gelists and  their  party  to  the  "  Spain ";  and  Mr.  Sankey,  who 
spent  the  night  at  Edge-lane,  and  most  of  the  friends,  went  on 
board  of  it  shortly  before  Mr.  Moody.  As  Mr.  Sankey  passed 
across  the  landing-stage,  upon  which  a  large  number  of  people 
had  assembled,  he  was  warmly  cheered. 

As  Mr.  Moody  emerged  from  the  hotel,  a  hearty  cheer  arose 


564  MOODY   AND    SANKEY   IN    GREAT    BRITAIN. 

from  the  crowd,  and  people  rushed  to  the  door  cf  the  cab  on  each 
side  to  shake  hands  with  him,  and  bid  him  good-bye.  The  cab 
was,  however,  immediately  driven  away  to  the  stage  amidst 
renewed  and  warm  cheering.  For  some  time  prior  to  the  hour 
at  which  the  special  tender  was  to  leave  for  the  "  Spain,"  people 
began  to  assemble  on  the  Prince's  pier  and  the  landing-stage, 
and  when  Mr.  Moody  arrived,  there  were  several  thousands  pre- 
sent. A  wide  strip  of  the  stage  was  kept  clear  by  the  police  for 
the  party  to  walk  to  the  tender,  and  as  Mr.  Moody  went  on  board 
he  was  heartily  cheered,  which  he  acknowledged  by  bowing. 
When  the  company  were  all  on  board,  the  tender  steamed  away. 
As  it  passed  down  the  river,  the  people  upon  the  pier  and  the 
landing-stage  cheered  with  increased  heartiness,  and  waved 
their  hats  and  handkerchiefs.  Their  example  was  imitated  by 
the  people  on  the  ferry-boats  moored  at  the  stage  or  crossing  the 
river ;  and  when  the  cheering  had  subsided,  the  people  on  the 
stage  struck  up  one  of  the  well-known  hymns.  The  sorrowful 
countenances  of  many  of  the  people  showed  that  it  was  with  no 
ordinary  feelings  of  regret  that  they  saw  the  evangelists  going 
away. 

The  tender  reached  the  "Spain"  about  an  hour  before  the 
time  for  the  ship  to  weigh  anchor,  and  the  interval  was  fully  occu- 
pied in  taking  leave  of  the  evangelists,  and  in  receiving  from 
them  or  conveying  to  them  parting  words  of  comfort  and  encour- 
agement. Mr.  Moody  again  urged  those  who  have  been  his  fel- 
low-laborers in  this  and  other  districts  to  remain  united,  and  to 
carry  on  the  work  with  courage  and  determination ;  whilst  on 
the  other  hand,  there  were  very  numerous  expressions  of  the 
hope  that  a  success  equal  to  that  of  the  last  two  years  may  attend 
the  evangelists'  labors  wherever  and  whenever  they  may  be 
resumed.  Many  of  the  leave-takings,  from  their  intense  earnest- 
ness, were  very  affecting.  Only  when  the  "  Spain's  "  anchor  was 
being  raised,  and  the  tender  was  upon  the  point  of  starting, 
could  many  of  the  friends  tear  themselves  away.  As  the  last  of 
the  people  "  for  the  shore  "  were  leaving  the  ship,  those  who  were 
already  on  board  the  tender  sang  the  hymn,  "  Safe  in  the  arms  of 


FAREWELL    IN    LIVERPOOL.  565 

Jesus."  As  the  "Spain"  moved  slowly  down  the  river,  the  peo- 
ple in  the  tender,  which  was  still  alongside,  cheered  heartily, 
and  the  passengers  on  board  the  "  Spain  "  replied  with  another 
cheer,  and  the  waving  of  handkerchiefs  and  hats.  As  the  "  Spain  " 
passed  on  ahead,  the  people  in  the  tender  sang  the  hymn, "  Hold 
the  fort,"  and  afterwards  the  hymn,  "  Work,  for  the  ni'ght  is  com- 
ing." Mr.  Moody  and  Mr.  Sankey  stood  at  the  bulwarks  of  the 
"  Spain  "  and  bowed  and  waved  their  handkerchiefs  until  the  two 
ships  were  out  of  sight  of  each  other.  Shortly  before  the  tender 
reached  Liverpool,  prayer  was  offered  up  on  board  by  Mr.  R. 
Radcliff,  and  other  gentlemen,  for  the  safe  arrival  of  the  evan- 
gelists at  their  destination,  and  for  the  subsequent  success  of 
their  labors,  whether  carried  on  in  England  or  America. 


Part   IV. 


A  COMPLETE    HISTORY 

OF  THE 

CAREER  AND  WORK 

OF 

MOODY   AND    SANKEY, 

IN    AMERICA. 


MOODY  AND   SANKEY   IN   AMERICA.  ^6l 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 
Moody  and  Sankey  in  Brooklyn. 

When  their  wonderful  career  was  over  in  the  old  country, 
and  they  returned  to  their  native  land,  these  laborers  felt 
the  need  of  rest,  and  desired  to  greet  once  more  their  kin- 
dred from  whom,  they  had  so  long  been  separated.  Mr.  Moody 
proceeded  at  once  to  Northfield,  Massachusetts,  to  the  home 
of  his  mother,  where  he  could  rest,  or  gather  strength  for 
the  work  already  marked  out  for  him  and  his  associate  in 
America.  For  great  expectations  had  been  raised  by  their 
success  abroad,  and  eager  multitudes  awaited  their  coming. 
While  in  Northfield,  delegations  visited  Mr.  Moody,  requesting 
his  services  in  various  cities  of  the  Union,  whenever  he  felt 
able  to  resume  the  service  temporarily  laid  aside.  While 
reposing  among  the  quiet  scenes  of  his  early  days,  the  wants  of 
the  community  pressed  heavily  on  his  heart,  and  his  old  neigh- 
bors were  anxious  to  hear  him  preach  again.  He  came  among 
them  as  a  conquering  hero,  bearing  rich  trophies  and  bright 
laurels.  The  pent-up  fires  of  religious  earnestness  and  fervor 
burst  forth  again,  and  he  poured  out  his  soul  to  the  thronging 
multitudes,  who  gathered  from  far  and  near  to  hear  the 
Gospel  from  his  burning  lips.  The  Unitarian  pastor  attempted 
to  controvert  and  hinder  him  in  his  work,  but  was  cast  aside  as 
a  leaf  before  the  whirlwind.  The  tidings  flashed  over  the  land 
that  God  was  with  his  servants  at  Northfield,  and  raised  expec- 
tation higher  than  ever.  But  there  were  some  who  doubted. 
They  said,  and  with  plausibility,  that  the  songs  were  familiar 
here,  and  the  direct  address  was  characteristically  American, 
and  these  men  could  scarcely  interest  and  hold  people  as  they 
had  done  abroad.  The  answer  will  be  found  stated  in  the 
compend  we  have   made  of  the   reports  and  editorials  of  the 


568  MOODY   AND    SANKEY   IN   AMERICA. 

press,  for  the  benefit  of  our  readers  who  may  desire  a  record 
of  these  glorious  events,  that  shall  stir  their  hearts  and  show 
what  God  hath  wrought.  Mr,  Moody,  after  long  and  careful 
consultation,  resolved  to  visit  Philadelphia  first;  but,  upon 
urgent  appeals  from  the  City  of  Churches,  he  commenced 
there  October  24,  1875.  Money  was  freely  subscribed  and  a 
perfect  Union  of  Christians  obtained.  The  services  were 
arranged  to  be  held  in  the  Rink  on  Clermont  Avenue,  and 
prayer  meetings,  in  Talmage's  Tabernacle.  The  preaching  on 
Sundays  began  at  half-past  eight,  so  as  not  to  interfere  with 
the  regular  church  meetings.  An  afternoon  preaching  service 
occurred  at  four,  and  a  meeting  at  nine  p.  m.,  for  young  men. 
From  the  journals  we  gather  the  events  of  the  course  of  revival 
efforts,  and  arrange  them  in  such  order  as  may  convey  the  best 
general  view  of  the  whole  marvelous  series,  without  stopping 
-to  quote  the  several  sources  of  information. 

All  calculations  with  regard  to  the  coming  of  the  evangelists, 
Moody  and  Sankey,  have  been  at  fault.  The  numbers  inter- 
ested, the  assistance  at  hand,  the  religious  feeling  awakened, 
have  all  been  underestimated.  This  was  not  a  result  of  mis- 
management,— on  the  contrary,  the  management  has  been 
singularly  good, — but  a  misconception  of  the  depth  and  earn- 
estness of  the  religious  feeling  which  awaited  the  coming  of 
the  evangelists  and  stood  ready  at  once  to  aid  and  to  respond 
to  their  efforts.  This  religious  spirit  has  been  lately  aroused 
in  this  country  by  various  causes,  chief  among  which  we  reckon 
the  general  trade  and  business  depression  which  now,  as 
always  in  the  past,  tends,  while  multiplying  men's  troubles,  to 
quicken  their  sympathetic  and  religious  feelings.  The  demon- 
stration yesterday  in  Brooklyn  was  expected  to  be  noticeable 
and  earnest,  but  in  its  magnitude  it  has  proved  a  surprise. 
The  reputation  won  by  Moody  and  Sankey  abroad  specially 
adapted  them  to  lead  in  a  general  revival,  and  led  all  to  antici- 
pate a  great  following  to  hear  them,  but  that  three  or  four  times 
the  numbers  in  attendance  would  have  to  be  turned  away  was 
wholly  unexpected.  And  instead  of  an  effort  being  required 
to  awaken  interest  and  arouse  dormant  feelings,  it  was  soon 


MOODY   AND   SANKEY   IN   AMERICA.  569 

discovered    that    the   audience  was   as   intensely  earnest   and 
sympathetic  as  the  leaders  themselves. 

Some  of  the  indications  of  this  spirit,  as  betrayed  at  yes- 
terday's meetings,  are  curious.  The  morning  services  were 
begun  at  half-past  eight  o'clock.  Before  six  in  the  morning 
tlie  crowd  began  to  gather  at  the  doors  ;  at  eight  o'clock  over 
five  thousand  persons  were  seated  in  the  building,  and  three 
thousand  or  more  had  been  turned  away  for  lack  of  standing 
room.  In  the  afternoon  twelve — possibly  twenty — thousand 
were  unable  to  gain  admittance ;  meetings  had  to  be  organized 
in  neighboring  churches  (Mr.  Sankey  going  from  place  to  place 
singing  his  songs),  while  the  sidewalks  and  house-stoops  for 
blocks  around  were  black  with  the  constantly  increasing  crowd. 
Additional  car-tracks  had  been  laid  by  the  street  railroad  com- 
panies to  the  doors  of  the  building,  and  though  cars  were  run 
at  intervals  of  only  one  minute,  many  thousands  had  to  wend 
their  ways  homeward  on  foot.  The  prayer  with  which  the 
services  were  begun,  though  delivered  by  a  minister  whose 
manner  is  never  impassioned  and  whose  style  is  purely  argu- 
mentative, was  interrupted  by  frequent  and  fervent  ejaculations 
from  the  audience,  indicating  the  intense  sympathy  with  the 
movement  which  existed.  The  songs  of  Mr.  Sankey  renewed 
and  heightened  these  demonstrations,  and  the  utterances  of  Mr. 
Moody  raised  the  excitement,  enthusiasm,  religious  fervor,  as 
one  may  choose  to  call  it,  to  the  highest  pitch. 

These  comments  are  founded  on  the  reports  of  the  first 
meetings,  of  which  we  have  most  glowing  accounts,  like  the 
following. 

It  was  early  evident  to  the  coldest  and  most  sceptical  per- 
son present  at  yesterday's  services  that  the  revival  spirit  was 
thoroughly  aroused,  and  the  people  ripe  for  a  great  and  enthu- 
siastic religious  demonstration.  This  feeling  was  manifested  at 
the  veiy  beginning  of  the  services,  during  the  prayer  of  the  Rev. 
Dr.  Budington.  Many  familiar  with  the  gentleman's  manner 
thought  that  his  selection  for  this  duty  was  an  error  of  judgment 
on  the  part  of  the  managers.  Dr.  Budington  has  never  made 
any  claims  to  being  a  magnetic  speaker.     He  is  logical  in  style, 


570  MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 

and  his  manner  of  delivery  is  polished  but  cold.  His  words 
would,  probably,  by  their  logical  force,  always  keep  for  him 
the  close  attention  of  an  intellectual  assemblage,  but  they 
would  not  on  any  ordinary  occasion  arouse  deep  feeling  or 
enthusiasm.  Yesterday,  before  he  had  uttered  half  a  dozen 
sentences  of  the  prayer,  fervent  "  amens  "  came  from  many  lips, 
and  there  were  other  signs  of  profound  emotion  in  the  great 
throng. 

The  next  opportunity  which  was  offered  for  the  display  of 
this  fervent  and  reverential  enthusiasm  was  during  the  singing 
of  the  1 20th  Hymn  by  Mr.  Sankey.  Mr.  Moody  had  said,  im- 
mediately after  reading  from  the  Bible,  "  I  am  going  to  ask  Mr. 
Sankey  to  sing  the  120th  Hymn  alone  " — a  sharp  emphasis  on 
the  last  word.  The  instant  hush  of  expectation  as  the  great 
audience  settled  back  prepared  to  hear  something  that  should 
appeal  to  their  hearts,  was  very  marked,  but  as  Mr.  Sankey's 
magnetic  voice  and  wonderfully  expressive  singing  filled  the 
great  auditorium,  the  sympathy  among  his  hearers  grew  and  in- 
creased until  it  seemed  as  if,  had  he  continued  the  sweet  melody 
and  earnest  supplication,  every  person  in  the  whole  audience 
would  have  risen  and  joined  with  him  in  a  grand  musical  prayer 
of  mingled  appeal  and  thanksgiving.  The  effect  he  produced 
was  simply  marvelous.  Many  responses,  such  as  "Amen  "  and 
"Glory  to  God,"  were  heard  from  all  parts  of  the  vast  assembly, 
and  at  the  close  a  great  many  men  as  well  as  women  were  in 
tears.  Mr.  Sankey'tj  voice  is  a  marvel  of  sweetness,  flexibility, 
and  strength.  There  is  a  simplicity  about  his  vocalism  which 
disarms  the  criticism  that  would  api^ly  to  it  any  of  the  rules 
of  art.  It  has  a  charm  purely  its  own,  which  attracts  and 
holds  one  with  a  power  that  is  gentle  but  irresistible. 

Mr.  Moody's  appearance  during  the  delivery  of  his  sermon 
was  as  one  man  standing  in  a  sea  of  men  and  women.  On  all 
sides,  and  even  in  rear  of  him,  were  the  assembled  5,000  persons, 
nearly  all  on  a  slightly  lower  plane  than  himself.  Every  one's 
attention  was  closely  directed  to  him,  and,  in  moments  of  intense 
utterance  or  emphasis  of  some  religious  truth,  fervent  responses 
came  from  every  part  of  the  room.     And  when,  toward  the 


MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA.  57 1 

close  of  his  sermon,  he  told  his  hearers  that  they  must  lay  aside 
the  world,  its  vanities,  pleasures,  parties,  festivals,  and  its  other 
gayeties,  if  they  would  "go  up  at  once  and  take  the  land,"  the 
responsive  "  Amens,"  "  Yes,  yes,"  ''  Glory  to  God,"  and  "  Aye, 
aye,"  were  very  numerous,  and  came  from  every  quarter  of  the 
auditorium.  Mr.  Moody's  manner  in  the  pulpit  was  not  such  as 
a  trained  elocutionist  would  use.  He  is  evidently  a  man  who 
in  his  diligent  search  for  truths  has  made  little  study  of  forms. 
He  is  quick  in  his  movements,  and  so  rapid  in  speech  that  the 
swiftest  stenographer  present  yesterday  could  not  reproduce  his 
language  literally.  He  is  earnest  and  vigorous  in  enunciation 
and  gesture,  and  \^holly  without  studied  art.  But  as  one  listens, 
he  becomes  irresistibly  convinced  that  an  intense  earnestness 
and  unquestioning  faith  in  the  saving  power  of  Christianity 
inspire  the  rugged,  sinewy  oratory  of  the  speaker.  Often 
neglecting  a  syllable  and  sacrificing  a  sound,  not  always  correct 
in  grammar  or  fluent  in  speech,  he  appears  to  the  amazed  lis- 
tener a  man  who  feels  more  than  he  can  express,  whose  brain 
is  big  with  great  thoughts  which  speech — earnest  and  eager  as 
Mr.  Moody's  language  is — is  incapable  of  expressing,  and  which, 
in  their  rapid  delivery,  tread  so  fast  on  each  other's  heels  as  to 
more  or  less  mar  each  other's  form. 

The  music  is  under  the  direct  charge  of  Mr.  Sankey.  In  ac- 
cordance with  his  request  the  choir  is  composed  of  singers  who 
are  themselves  Christians,  and  recommended  by  their  pastors 
as  such.  It  numbers  250  voices.  There  have  been  500  names 
entered,  so  that  there  will  always  be  a  reserve  force  of  as  many 
more  as  are  requisite  from  which  to  keep  the  ranks  full.  The 
singers  have  been  undergoing  several  rehearsals,  with  a  view  to 
adapting  themselves  in  various  points  of  expression  to  the  spirit 
of  the  words  they  utter.  The  last  of  these  was  conducted  on 
Saturday  night  by  Mr.  Sankey.  There  will  be  one  large  organ 
to  assist  the  choir  and  audience,  and  a  smaller  one  upon  which 
Mr.  Sankey  accompanies  himself  in  his  solos. 

One  of  the  papers  said,  near  the  close  of  the  campaign  : 
Moody  and  Sankey  will  advance  upon  Philadelphia,  after 
their  Brooklyn   experience,   as  conquerors.     There  was  great 


572  MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN   AMERICA. 

anxiety  about  their  success  when  they  made  their  advent  in 
Brooklyn  a  month  ago.  They  had  stirred  up  England  and 
Scotland  just  before  their  arrival  in  this  country  ;  but  still  there 
were  doubts  whether  the  conditions  here  were  as  favorable  as  they 
had  been  there.  The  *'  evangelist"  Varley  and  his  assistants  had 
carried  on  revival  operations  here  last  year,  in  the  Hippodrome 
and  elsewhere;  but  they  were  failures.  Moody  himself  had 
worked  among  us  with  very  slight  results  before  he  went  abroad. 
Other  revivalists  had  tried  their  powers  in  various  places,  and 
met  with  discouragement.  But  the  very  first  meeting  held  by 
Moody  and  Sankey,  on  the  24th  of  last  month,  was  a  triumph, 
so  far  as  it  could  be  made  so  by  the  multitude^n  attendance  and 
the  number  of  anxious  inquirers.  From  then  until  now,  the 
popular  interest  has  not  only  been  sustained,  but  has  increased  ; 
and  the  meetings  of  the  last  two  evenings,  especially  that  of  last 
evening,  show  that  the  revival  is  yet  at  its  flood  tide.  It  is  from 
such  scenes  that  Moody  and  Sankey  go  to  Philadelphia.  We  are 
not  surprised  that  the  pious  Philadelphians  now  look  for  great 
things,  or  that  they  expect  a  Pentecostal  season  without  prece- 
dent in  their  city.  We  hope  that,  if  they  enjoy  it,  they  will  be 
the  better  for  it,  and  that  the  fruits  of  it  will  be  apparent  to  all 
observers. 

Mr.  Moody  himself  was  not  surprised  at  what  was  witnessed, 
for  he  said  to  the  reporters :  "  I  have  nowhere  found  more  im- 
pressionable audiences  than  in  Brooklyn.  In  England,  where 
I  was  successful,  my  friends  counseled  me  against  going 
into  Scotland,  saying  that  I  could  not  move  the  cool,  calculat- 
ing spirit  of  the  Scotchman  ;  and  when  I  started  for  Ireland, 
they  told  me  that  the  volatile  Irish  were  the  last  people  in  the 
world  among  whom  I  could  labor  with  good  results.  But  in 
both  those  countries  there  were  as  great  awakenings  as  any  I 
have  ever  seen.  It  made  me  think  that  hearts  are  the  same 
all  over  the  world." 

"  What  has  been  the  most  encouraging  feature  of  your  recep- 
tion in  Brooklyn } " 

"  The   union    of  the  churches.     All  the  clergy  seem  to  be 


MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN   AMERICA. 


573 


working  zealously  and  harmoniously  and  intelligently  to  carry 
on  the  work." 

'^  And  the  most  discouraging  ?  " 

"  My  inability  to  reach  the  great  masses  who  ought  to  be 
saved.  Still,  they  may  be  yet  approached  through  the  churches, 
for  this  movement  has  not  stopped." 

"  Have  you  any  estimate  of  the  number  of  converts  made?" 
asked  the  reporter,  for  Mr.  Moody  volunteers  nothing  to  an 
interviewer. 

"  I  have  not  one,  and  cannot  make  one.  Many  go  to  their 
own  pastors,  and  do  not  come  near  the  inquiry  room,  and 
many  more  of  the  wounded  will  be  won  if  the  work  is  carried 
on  as  it  should  be." 

He  said  that  he  as  yet  felt  no  fatigue,  and  that  he  had  been 
able  to  carry  on  four  meetings  a  day  in  England,  Scotland,  and 
Ireland,  for  over  two  years,  without  breaking  down.  He  ex- 
pressed great  satisfaction  with  the  opening  meetings,  saying 
that  he  had  never  had  a  more  encouraging  outlook.  Every- 
thing had  been  planned  after  the  very  best  manner,  and  the 
indications  of  success  were  as  satisfactory  as  any  he  had  found 
abroad.  The  prayer  meeting  yesterday  morning  was  more 
successful  than  he  could  have  expected.  In  Great  Britain 
these  meetings  were  held  at  noon,  but  at  no  time  was  there  a 
larger  attendance  than  yesterday.  Many  of  the  meetings  there 
had  been  overestimated  in  the  numbers  in  attendance.  He 
had  yet  to  learn  of  a  circumstance  in  this  country  that  was  un- 
favorable. In  Brooklyn  he  had  found  a  universal  feeling  of 
cordiality  and  support,  and  in  all  he  had  known  of  the  other 
cities  to  which  he  and  Mr.  Sankey  had  been  invited,  there  was 
the  same  unvarying  encouragement.  •  Some  of  the  newspapers 
had  stated  that  in  New  York  there  were  some  ministers  who 
disapproved  of  their  coming,  but  he  had  found  the  feeling  there 
fully  as  universal  and  sympathetic  as  anywhere  else.  America 
differed  in  this  respect  from  Great  Britain.  In  the  latter  coun- 
try he  and  Mr.  Sankey  were  strangers,  and  many  people 
regarded  them  at  first  from  aloof,  and  it  was  only  after  they 
became  better  known  and  their  work  was  understood  that  the 


574  MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 

sentiments  became  cordial  and  the  interest  general.  He  there- 
fore believed  that  a  still  greater  work  would  be  accomplished 
in  the  United  States  than  on  the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic. 

Said  Mr.  Moody  :  "  I  am  the  most  overestimated  man  in 
this  country.  By  some  means  the  people  look  upon  me  as  a 
great  man,  but  I  am  only  a  lay  preacher,  and  have  little  learn- 
ing. I  don't  know  what  will  become  of  me  if  the  newspapers 
continue  to  print  all  of  my  sermons.  My  stock  will  be 
exhausted  by  and  by,  and  I  must  repeat  the  old  ideas  and 
teachings.  Brooklyn  every  Sunday  hears  a  score  of  better 
sermons  than  I  can  preach.  I  can't  get  up  such  sermons  as 
Drs.  Budington  and  Cuyler  and  Talmage,  and  many  others 
who  preach  here  week  after  week.  I  don't  know  what  I 
shall  do." 

It  is  interesting  to  note  the  interest  excited  by  Mr.  Moody  in 
such  men  as  Mr.  Beecher,  the  prince  of  preachers,  who  said  at 
one  of  his  lectures,  the  impression  he  had  gained  in  conversa- 
tion with  Mr.  Moody  was  that  the  number  of  persons  who  had 
been  converted  from  the  outside  world,  while  not  inconsiderable, 
has  not  yet  been  large.  This  leaves  the  comforting  thought,  he 
added,  that  the  greatest  benefit  of  the  meetings  is  yet  to  accrue. 
He  spoke  further,  suggesting  different  methods  to  prolong  the 
Christian  meetings.  He  could  not  see  how  they  could  carry  on 
the  central  meetings  with  continued  success.  If  every  church 
tried  to  be  a  little  Rink,  and  everybody  a  litile  Moody  and  San- 
key,  they  would  fail  because  imitations  were  very  inferior.  Moody 
was  no  careless  worker  ;  no  man  had  a  more  definite  conception 
of  the  end  he  aimed  at.  "  On  last  Saturday,"  said  Mr.  Beecher, 
"  I  had  the  pleasure  of  two  or  three  hours'  conference  with  Mr. 
Moody  in  my  own  house.  I  thought  I  saw  the  secret  of  his 
working  and  plans.  He  is  a  believer  in  the  second  advent  of 
Christ,  and  in  our  own  time.  He  thinks  it  is  no  use  to  attempt 
to  work  for  this  world.  In  his  opinion  it  is  blasted — a  wreck 
bound  to  sink — and  the  only  thing  that  is  worth  doing  is  to  get 
as  many  of  the  crew  off  as  you  can,  and  let  her  go.  All  that  is 
worth  doing  is  to  work  and  wait  for  the  appearance  of  the 
Master,  and  not  to  attempt  a  thorough  regeneration  of  a  com- 


MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA.  575 

pjicated  state  of  society.  He  thinks  that  Christ  may  come  even 
to-morrow.  I  should  be  a  burning  fire  all  the  time  if  I  believed 
like  that,  but  I  do  not  say  that  I  must  believe  like  that  to  be  a 
burning  fire." 

Mr.  Nordhoff,  an  accomplished  literary  gentleman,  wrote  of 
the  evangelists  a  capital  review  for  the  "  Herald  "  from  which 
we  copy ; 

Mr,  Moody  is  a  short  and  somewhat  stout  man,  with  a  full, 
dark  beard,  rather  small  eyes  and  an  active,  energetic,  but  not 
nervous,  habit.  His  manner  is  alert  and  prompt,  but  not  grace- 
ful ;  his  voice  is  unmusical,  and  indeed  harsh  ;  his  enun- 
ciation is  very  clear,  but  somewhat  too  rapid, andean  be  heard 
and  understood  in  every  part  of  the  Tabernacle  or  the  Rink. 
In  the  latter  place  he  has  spoken  to  7000  people.  He  gesticu- 
lates but  little,  and  his  gestures  are  evidently  extremely  un- 
studied. His  style  of  speaking  is  entirely  conversational,  and 
hearing  him  perhaps  a  dozen  times,I  have  never  detected  him  in 
any  attempt  at  eloquence.  He  is  evidently,  by  his  pronuncia- 
tion, a  Yankee,  clippmg  some  of  the  minor  words  in  his  sen- 
tences, as  the  farmers  in  the  interior  of  Massachusetts  do ;  but 
he  has  no  "  Yankee  drawl."  He  speaks  the  language  of  the 
people,  and  has  the  merit  of  using  always  the  commonest  v^ords; 
and  that  he  had  no  early  educational  advantages  is  plain  from 
his  frequent  use  of  "  done  "  for  "  did  "  and  other  ungrammatical 
colloquialisms.  In  short,  his  appearance  is  not  imposing ;  his 
figure  is  not  graceful,  but  that  of  a  farmer  or  hard-working 
laborer  ;  his  voice  is  not  melodious,  nor  has  it  a  great  range ; 
his  language  is  not  choice.  His  externals,  therefore,  are  all 
against  him. 

In  spite  of  all  these  disadvantages  he  has  succeeded  in  attract- 
ing in  England  and  here  vast  crowds  day  after  day,  which,  at 
some  of  the  Brooklyn  meetings  at  least,  are  composed  largely 
of  cultivated  people  ;  he  has,  evidently,  succeeded  in  interesting 
these  crowds  in  what  he  has  had  to  say ;  for  nothing  is  more 
remarkable  at  the  meetings  than  the  absolute  quiet  and  order^ 
the  attitude  of  interested  listeners,  which  prevails  among  the 
audience.     He  has  so  entirely  controlled  his  audiences  that  all 


576  MOODY   AND   SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 

noisy  manifestations  of  religious  feeling  have  been  entirely 
suppressed  ;  and  at  the  same  time  no  one  who  has  sat  in  the 
meetings  at  the  Rink  or  the  Tabernacle  can  have  failed  to  see 
that  Mr.  Moody's  manner  of  presenting  his  subject  is  to  an 
extraordinary  degree  effective  in  moving  the  hearts  of  his  hear- 
ers, in  stirring  devotional  feelings,  in  producing  a  profound 
impression  upon  them  of  the  importance  of  the  message  he  has 
to  deliver. 

Indeed,  it  has  been  a  common  remark  that  the  audiences 
were  even  more  remarkable  than  Mr.  Moody,  for  not  only  are 
they  spontaneous  gatherings  ;  to  some  of  the  meetings  admit- 
tance can  be  secured  only  by  the  presentation  of  a  ticket,  and 
these  ticket  meetings,  where  each  person  must  be  supposed  at 
least  to  have  had  a  desire  to  attend  strong  enough  to  induce 
him  to  take  the  trouble  of  securing  a  ticket,  are  as  crowded  as 
any  others.  Nor  are  convenient  hours  selected  for  the  meetings. 
There  is  one  from  eight  to  nine  in  the  morning,  which  yet  has 
seen  the  Tabernacle  filled  with  an  audience,  at  least  a  third  of 
whom  were  men.  There  is  another  at  four  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon, and  again  not  less  than  a  third  of  those  present  have  been 
men.  After  the  Rink  meeting  in  the  evening  there  has  been 
held  a  meeting  in  the  Tabernacle  for  young  men  exclusively, 
beginning  at  nine  o'clock,  and  this,  too,  I  have  seen  crowded, 
the  large  auditorium  being  on  several  occasions  incapable  of 
holding  all  who  came.  Nor  is  this  all.  Not  the  least  remark- 
able evidence  of  the  real  and  profound  interest  excited  by  Mr. 
Moody's  exhortations  is  seen  in  what  are  happily  called  the 
''overflow  meetings,"  composed  of  persons  who  could  not 
gain  admission  to  the  regular  meetings  where  Mr.  Moody 
exhorts  and  Mr.  Sankey  sings,  and  who  adjourn  to  a  neighbor- 
ing church  to  listen  to  some  other  preacher  and  to  sing  the 
songs  which  Mr.  Sankey  has  made  familiar  to  them.  If  any 
considerable  part  of  the  crowds  who  go  to  the  meetings  were 
composed  of  the  merely  curious  these  "overflow  meetings" 
could  not  exist. 

Nor  is  even  this  all.  Mr.  Moody  does  not  hesitate  to  advise 
people  to  stay  away  from  his  meetings.     He   has   repeatedly 


MOODY    AND   SANKEY    IN    AMERICA,  577 

urged  that  his  labors  are  for  non-church  goers  ;  that  he  desires 
room  left  for  this  class,  and  he  has  taken  special  means  to 
exclude  from  some  of  his  meetings  ail  who  regularly  attend  a 
church— i^hat  is  to  say,  he  does  not  court  his  audiences,  but 
the  contrary.  If  you  go  to  hear  him  it  must  be  because  you  want 
to;  if  you  go  the  second  time  it  must  be  because  he  interested 
you  the  first. 

I  have  heard  him  a  number  of  times,  and  always  with  interest 
and  gratification  ;  and  it  seems  to  me  that  this  arose  mainly — 
aside  from  the  interest  which  any  thoughtful  man  may  have  in 
this  subject— because  he  gives  the  impression  of  possessing 
remarkable  common  sense,  the  clear  head  of  a  business  man, 
and  a  habit  of  attending  to  the  one  thing  which  he  has  on 
hand  and  making  all  parts  of  the  audience  do  the  same.  The 
meetings  are  opened  and  closed  promptly  at  the  preappointed 
hour  ]  there  is  not  even  a  minute  of  time  lost  during  the  meet- 
ing by  delays;  his  own  prayers  are  brief,  very  earnest,  and 
directly  to  the  point  ;  and  his  exhortations  are  a  running  com- 
mentary on  passages  of  Scripture  which  he  reads  rapidly, 
always  asking  the  audience  to  turn  to  the  passage.  Indeed,  so 
far  as  Mr.  Moody  is  concerned,  there  is  little  or  no  "  machin- 
ery." He  opens  a  meeting  as  though  his  audience  were  the 
stockholders  of  a  bank  to  whom  he  was  about  to  make  a 
report.  He  has  the  air  of  a  business  man  to  whom  time  is 
extremely  valuable,  and  slow  and  tedious  people  are  evidently 
a  trial  to  him.  In  some  of  the  prayer  meetings  persons  in  the 
audience  take  an  active  part ;  and  it  happened  not  seldom  in 
those  that  I  attended  that  some  earnest  but  indiscreet  soul 
made  a  long  and  rambling  prayer.  Mr.  Moody  knew  how  to 
bring  back  the  assembly  to  the  strict  object  of  the  hour.  In 
one  of  the  morning  meetings  a  clergyman  made  a  very  long, 
loud,  and  rambling  prayer,  full  of  set  and  stale  phraseology. 
The  moment  he  ceased  Mr.  Moody  said,  "  Let  us  now  have  a 
few  minutes  of  silent  prayer  ;  that  will  bring  us  back  to  our- 
selves, and  that's  where  we  need  to  get."  After  a  brief  but 
impressive  silence  Mr.  Sankey  spoke  a  fev/  words — pertinent, 
pointed,  and  forcible— of  prayer,  and  the  meeting  proceeded. 


578  MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 

I  hope  I  shall  not  be  thought  disrespectful  to  the  clergy  if  1 
say  that  the  prayers  some  of  them  speak  at  these  meetings 
contrast  unfavorably  with  the  brief  and  pertinent  petitions  ot 
Messrs.  Moody  and  Sankey.  The  formal  and  thread-bare 
phraseology  of  the  former  is  strikingly  inaiDpropriate  in  such 
meetings  as  these,  and  seemed  to  me  often  to  jar  painfully  on 
the  feelings  of  the  people  around  me. 

Again,  in  one  of  the  morning  meetings  prayers  were  asked 
by  various  individuals  in  the  audience  for  people  in  whom 
they  are  interested.  One  asked  the  prayers  of  the  assembly 
for  his  sister;  another  for  her  brother;  one  for  her  mother; 
sons  for  fathers ;  fathers  for  sons  and  daughters  ;  wives  for 
husbands  ;  one  for  a  church  out  of  town  ;  another  for  a  church 
in  New  York.  Finally  a  man  shyly  asked  the  prayers  of  the 
congregation  for  himself  Instantly  Mr.  Moody  said,  "That's 
right.  I  like  that.  I  like  to  hear  people  ask  prayers  for  them- 
selves. That's  where  they  are  often  most  needed."  Such  an 
incident  seems  to  me  to  show  that  he  is  not  an  enthusiast  who 
has  lost  his  self-possession  ;  and  indeed  this  is  evident  at 
every  meeting.  He  is,  of  course,  enthusiastic  in  his  work, 
but  with  the  sobriety  of  a  business  man  or  of  a  general 
in  battle. 

Again,  he  is  never  in  the  least  afraid  of  his  audience.  In- 
deed, no  one  can  hear  him  without  feeling  that  he  is  entirely 
unconscious,  as  much  so  as  a  child.  His  own  personality  does 
not  trouble  him.  Thus  at  the  Rink  one  evening,  while  impress- 
ing upon  the  assemblage  the  importance  of  immediate  conver- 
sion, he  said  :  "  I  wish  that  friend  over  there  would  just  wake 
up,  and  ril  tell  him  something  which  is  important  to  him." 
And  again,  at  another  meeting,  he  said  :  "  Salvation  is  offered 
to  every  man  in  this  Rink,  now,  to-ijight,  at  this  very  moment ; 
to  that  man  there,  who  is  laughing  and  jeering — the  Son  of 
Man  comes  to  him  to-night  and  offers  salvation." 

Though  he  aims  to  reach  more  particularly  the  non -church- 
going  population,  he  concerns  himself  also  about  church-goers. 
"  The  churches,"  he  said  on  one  occasion,  ''  need  awakening  ; 
it  is  too  easy  now   to   be   a  church  member.     If  you  pay  your 


MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA.  c^jg 

debts  and  keep  out  of  jail,  that  seems  to  be  enough."  At  a 
meeting  for  young  men,  held  at  nine  o'clock  p.  m.  in  the  Taber- 
nacle, he  said,  "  You  don't  need  that  I  should  preach  to  you. 
There  is  too  much  preaching.  It's  preach,  preach,  preach,  all 
the  time ;  and  you,  young  men,  have  heard  sermons  enough 
here  in  Brooklyn  to  convert  every  one  of  you.  What  you  need 
is  to  work  among  yourselves.  Let  the  converted  speak  personally 
with  the  unconverted — friend  to  friend.     Then  you'll  see  results." 

He  has  a  good  deal  of  dramatic  pov^er,  and  sometimes  is  very 
effective  m  a  natural  but  strong  apjDeal  or  statement.  "  When 
the  prisoners  at  Phiiippi  with  Paul  cried  Amen,"  he  said,  "  God 
himself  answered  them  Amen  !  "  Speaking  of  the  probability 
that  we  forget  none  of  the  events  of  our  lives,  and  that  this  is, 
perhaps,  to  be  a  means  of  punishment  in  a  future  state,  he  pic- 
tured an  unrepentant  sinner  awakening  in  the  other  world,  and 
his  misdeeds  coming  back  upon  him.  '*  Tramp  !  tramp  !  tran)p  ! 
tramp  I  "  he  said,  suiting  the  action  to  the  word.  "  Do  you 
think  that  Judas,  after  nearly  1,900  years,  has  forgotten  that  he 
betrayed  his  Saviour  for  thirty  pieces  of  silver  ?  Do  you  think 
that  Cain,  after  5,000  years,  has  forgotten  the  pleading  look  of 
his  brother  Able  when  he  slew  him  ?  "  he  continued.  In  speak- 
ing of  Bible  incidents  or  parables  he  usually  brings  them  in  a 
dramatic  form — as  when  he  remarked,  '''  if  I  want  to  know  about 
some  man  in  Brooklyn  I  don't  ask  only  his  enemies,  nor  only 
his  friends,  but  both.  Let  us  ask  about  Christ  in  this  way.  I 
call  first  Pilate's  wife  " — and  relating  her  warning  to  Pilate  went 
on  to  call  other  witnesses  to  the  character  and  works  of  Jesus. 

He  has  made  an  extremely  close  study  of  the  Bible,  and  is 
evidently  that  formidable  being,  a  man  of  one  book,  and  tlius 
he  is  able  to  give  often  a  novel  view  of  a  Bible  passage.  Thus, 
speaking  of  Jacob^  he  remarked  that  his  life  was  a  failure ; 
pointed  out  that  Jacob  himself  had  complained  of  it,  and  enu- 
merated his  tribulations,  which  followed  his  misdeeds.  He 
enforced  upon  the  audience  the  necessity  of  reading  the  Bible 
biographies  not  as  though  tney  were  the  lives  of  saints,  but  the 
truthfully  written  lives  of  mortal  men,  in  which  their  bad  as  well 
as  their  good  deeds  were  set  forth  for  our  instruction. 


580  MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN   AMERICA. 

He  has  in  perfection  that  faculty  of  epigrammatic  statement 
which  one  often  finds  among  the  farmers  and  laboring  people 
of  New  England,  and  this  has  sometimes  the  effect  of  humor. 
Thus,  preaching  at  the  Rink  from  the  text,  "Where  the  treasure 
is,  there  the  heart  will  be  also,"  he  remarked:  "If  you  find  a 
man's  household  goods  on  a  freight  train,  you  may  be  pretty 
sure  to  find  him  on  the  next  passenger  train."  On  another 
occasion  he  told  of  a  woman  who  came  to  him  saying  that  she 
had  sought  Christ  without  avail.  "  I  told  her  there  must  be  some 
mistake  about  this,  because  an  anxious  sinner  and  an  anxious 
Saviour  could  not  need  three  years  to  find  each  other."  Speak- 
ing of  persons  who  were  ambitious  to  make  themselves  promi- 
nent, he  remarked  :  "  It  does  not  say,  make  your  light  shine,  but 
let  your  light  shine.  You  can't  make  a  light  shine.  If  it  is 
really  a  light  it  will  shine  in  spite  of  you — only  don't  hide  it 
under  a  bushel.  Let  it  shine.  Confess  Christ  everywhere." 
"  Satan  got  bis  match  when  he  came  across  John  Bunyan,"  he 
remarked.  "  He  thought  he  had  done  a  shrewd  thing  when  he 
got  the  poor  tinker  stuck  into  Bedford  Jail,  but  that  was  one  of 
his  blunders.  It  was  there  that  Bunyan  wrote  the  '  Pilgrim's 
Progress,'  and  no  doubt  he  was  more  thankful  for  the  imprison- 
ment than  for  anything  else  in  his  life." 

Speaking  of  the  goodness  of  God  and  of  "grace  abounding," 
he  told  a  striking  story  of  a  rich  man  who  sent  to  a  poor  friend 
in  distress  $25  in  an  envelope,  on  which  he  wrote,  "  More  to 
follow."  "  Now,"  said  he,  "  which  was  the  more  w^elcome — the 
money  or  the  gracious  promise  of  further  help  ?  So  it  is  wMth 
God's  grace  ;  there  is  always  more  to  follow.  Let  us  thank 
God,  not  only  for  what  he  gives  us,  but  for  what  he  promises — 
more  to  follow."  Contrasting  the  law  and  the  Gospel,  he  said. 
"  Moses,  in  Egy^^t,  turned  water  into  blood,  which  is  death. 
Christ  turned  water  into  wine,  which  is  life,  joy,  and  gladness." 
Speaking  of  future  punishment  in  one  of  his  Rink  sermons,  he 
said,  "  God  will  not  punish  us.  We  shall  punish  ourselves. 
When  we  come  before  God  He  will  turn  us  over  to  ourselves. 
Go  and  read  the  book  of  your  memory,  He  will  say."  Urging 
the  duty  of  immediate  repentance  and  the  joy  in  heaven  over  a 


MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN   AMERICA.  581 

repentant  sinner,  he  said,  "If  the  President  should  die  to-night, 
or  if  the  Governor  of  the  State  should  be  shot^that  would  make 
an  outcry  here.  But  perhaps  even  so  great  an  event  would  not 
be  mentioned  in  heaven  at  all.  But,"  said  he,  raising  his  voice 
a  little,  "if  some  sinner  in  this  assembly  were  just  now  con- 
verted, there  would  be  a  great  shout  of  joy  in  heaven."  Dwell- 
ing upon  the  certainty  of  future  punishment,  he  remarked. 
"  Some  people  doubt-  it ;  they  think  God  is  so  lo.ving  that  He 
will  make  no  distinctions  m  another  world.  But  do  you 
imagine  that  when  men  had  become  so  wicked  that  God  sent  a 
flood  to  exterminate  them  because  they  were  not  fit  to  live  on 
earth — do  you  suppose  that  when  the  waters  came  and  drowned 
them,  He  took  all  this  wicked  generation  into  his  bosom  and 
left  pool  righteous  Noah  to  drift  about  in  his  ark?  Do  you 
suppose  that  when  His  chosen  people  crossed  the  Red  Sea, 
and  Pharaoh's  host  were  drowned,  God  took  those  idolatrous 
Egyptians  directly  to  heaven  and  let  the  children  of  Israel 
wander  miserably  over  the  desert  for  forty  years  ?'" 

Speaking  of  the  real  objects  to  be  attained  by  prayer,  he  said, 
"  If  you  have  a  thorn  in  your  foot,  you  are  to  pray,  not  that 
God  shall  relieve  you  of  the  physical  pain — He  can  do  that 
too — but  what  you  are  to  ask  Him  for  is  grace  and  strength 
to  bear  the  pain  patiently.  We  should  thank  God  for  our  trib- 
ulations ;  they  are  sent  to  us  as  blessings  ;  they  bring  us  to 
Him."  Again,  "  Many  things  we  want  God  knows  are  not  good 
for  us;  if  He  gives  them  it  is  that  we  may  learn  through  suffer- 
ing ;  if  He  withholds  them  it  is  because  He  loves  us."  Again 
he  said,  "  Suppose  a  man  going  from  here  to  Chicago,  who  knows 
me  and  my  wife.  When  he  gets  there  he  goes  to  see  her, 
and  he  says,  '  I  saw  Mr.  Moody  in  Brooklyn.'  And  then,  when 
she  is  naturally  anxious  to  hear  all  about  me,  suppose  he  goes 
on  to  speak  about  himself,  to  tell  her  how  he  felt  on  the  cars 
and  where  he  stopped,  and  what  he  said  and  did  and  ate. 
Would  not  she  presently  tell  him  that  it  v/as  not  him  she 
wanted  to  hear  about,  but  me.?"  Nor  is  he  backward  in  im- 
pressing upon  those  who  listen  to  him  their  own  responsibility. 
*'  People  attending  these  meetings  during  these  two  weeks,"  he 


582  MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 

said,  "will  be  eilher  better  or  worse.  They  will  not  go  away 
the  same  men  and  women.  If  I  did  ncH;  want  to  be  a  Christian 
do  you  think  I  would  ever  go  where  the  Gospel  is  preached  ? 
If  any  of  you  have  made  up  your  minds  not  to  be  Christians  I 
advise  you  to  get  up  and  go  out  at  once.  It  is  not  safe  for  you 
to  be  here." 

I  do  not  know  whether  these  passages  which  I  have  given 
from  Mr.  Moody's  exhortations  will  seem  to  those  who  read 
them  as  forcible  as  they  were  to  me  who  heard  them.  I  took 
down  at  the  time  what  appeared  to  me  his  most  striking  utter- 
ances, as  the  best  way  of  showing  wherein  his  power  over  his 
audiences  consists.  That  he  is  a  man  of  genuine  power  there 
can  be  no  doubt.  He  has  gathered,  and  held  in  silent  attention, 
and  deeply  moved,  some  of  the  largest  assemblies  that  any 
speaker  has  addressed  in  America  ;  at  least  in  our  day.  For 
my  part  I  do  not  doubt  that  his  words  have  left  a  lasting  im- 
pression upon  a  great  many  men  and  women.  And  he  has  done 
this  without  frantic  or  passionate  appeals  ;  without  the  least  of 
v/hat  we  commonly  call  eloquence.  He  has  none  of  the  vehe- 
mence of  Peter  Cartwright  or  Elder  Knapp,  and  he  possesses 
none  of  the  personal  advantages  or  culture  of  an  orator.  Instead 
of  all  these  he  has  a  profound  conviction  of  the  reality  of  the 
future  life  ;  a  just  idea  of  its  importance  compared  with  this 
life  and  of  the  relations  of  the  two,  and  an  unhesitating  belief 
in  the  literal  truth  of  the  Bible.  It  is,  of  course,  his  own  deep 
and  earnest  conviction  which  enables  him  to  impress  others. 

Mr.  Sankey  has  an  effective  voice,  a  clear  pronunciation, 
and,  I  shguld  think,  a  quick  ear  to  catch  simple  and  tender 
melodies.  His  singing  was,  I  suspect,  more  effective  and 
affecting  in  England  than  here,  because  the  hymns  he  sings 
w^ere  not  as  familiar  to  his  English  hearers  as  they  are  to 
Americans,  most  of  whom  have  been  brought  up  in  Sunday 
schools,  or  have  heard  their  children  sing  their  Sunday-school 
hymns  at  home.  He  is  evidently  a  favorite  with  the  Rink  and 
Tabernacle  audiences,  and  he  has  a  pathetic  and  sympathetic 
voice.  But  to  me  the  main  figure  is  Mr.  Moody.  Of  course  a 
daily  paper  is  not  the  place  in  which  to  discuss  his  theology, 


MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA.  583 

even  if  I  desired  to  do  so.  Those  to  whom  his  creed  is  false  or 
ofterisi\:e  need  not  go  to  hear  him.  But  as  to  the  general  ten- 
dency and  usefulness  of  his  work,  it  seems  to  me  clear  that  if 
there  is  a  future  life,  it  is  useful  to  have  it  and  its  relations  to 
the  present  life  sometimes  brought  vividly  before  men  and 
women  actively  and  anxiously  engaged  in  the  daily  struggle  for 
bread.  Mr.  Moody  addresses  himself  to  a  multitude  thus  ab- 
sorbed ;  his  exhortations  raise  them  for  a  time  out  of  themselves, 
out  of  sordid  cares  and  engrossing  pursuits,  and  present  to  them 
in  a  vivid,  epigrammatic,  often  pathetic,  always  simple  and  nat- 
ural way,  the  greatest  questions  and  interests  which  can  be 
brought  to  the  consideration  of  a  being  gifted  with  immortal  life. 
It  is  surely  a  great  merit  to  do  this,  and  to  do  it  as  these  "evan- 
gelists" doit — calmly,  without  mere  passionate  appeals,  without 
efforts  to  capture  the  imagination  of  their  hearers,  and  without 
noisy  or  disorderly  demonstrations  among  their  hearers. 

Turning,  now,  from  this  thorough  and  just  estimate  of  these 
men  to  the  results  of  their  labors,  we  find  many  incidents  of 
thrilling  interest.  The  requests  for  prayer  at  the  morning 
prayer-meetings  revealed  the  universal  awakening  that  has  seized 
upon  the  whole  people ;  and  they  also  exposed  the  pitifulness 
of  our  human  condition,  by  unveiling  the  vast  variety  of  needs 
pressing  on  the  hearts  of  myriads  of  sufferers.  Says  one 
report  : 

The  requests  for  prayers  exceeded  in  number  those  of  any 
previous  day.  There  were  twenty-five  for  cities  and  towns, 
twenty-seven  for  revivals  in  churches  ;  one  for  the  evangelists 
now  laboring  in  Minnesota,  one  for  the  Osv^^ego  State  Normal 
School,  one  for  a  young  ladies'  boarding  school  ;  eight  for 
Sunday-school  classes  ;  six  for  Sunday-schools  ;  four  clergymen 
for  themselves  ;  seventeen  for  drunkards  ;  and  four  hundred 
and  forty-seven  for  different  persons,  many  being  from  parents 
for  wayward  sons  and  daughters,  and  from  wives  for  their  hus- 
bands.    Mr.  Moody  then  offered  prayer. 

Mr.  E.  W-  Hawley  then  read  requests  as  follows,  all  heads 
being  bowed  in  silent  prayer  during  the  reading.  Requests  for  a 
sceptic  88  years  of  age,  who  will  not  hear  of  Jesus;  for  a  father, 


584  MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 

three  sons  and  a  daughter  ;  for  a  daughter,  father  and  mother  sixty 
years  of  age  ;  for  four  sons  and  one  daughter  ;  for  two  young  men 
yesterday  in  the  meeting  in  the  church  ;  for  a  young  lady  who  is 
a  backslider ;  for  a  mother  who  is  sick  ;  for  a  daughter  and  son  j 
for  a  wife,  husband  and  three  daughters ;  for  a  sister,  and  three 
brothers  ;  for  a  person  sick,  that  he  may  be  kept  from  tempta- 
tion and  doubt ;  for  a  young  man,  an  only  son ;  for  a  sick 
mother  ;  for  a  brother  that  he  may  be  restored  to  heahh ;  two 
requests  for  backsliders ;  for  a  person  very  sick,  that  he  may 
be  kept  from  temptation  and  doubt ;  for  a  young  man,  an  only 
son  ;  for  an  organized  band  of  praying  young  men  ;  a  father  for 
himself  and  six  of  his  family  ;  a  wife  for  a  husband  given  to 
strong  drink  ;  four  requests  for  church  members  who  have  an 
appetite  for  strong  drink  ;  three  requests  for  an  aged  mother ; 
for  a  friend  in  danger  through  strong  drink  ;  three  requests  for 
husbands  and  wives  ;  four  requests  for  unconverted  husbands  * 
two  requests  of  mothers  for  health  of  their  sons ;  for  one  who 
feels  if  she  delays  longer  she  will  be  shut  out  from  God's 
grace ;  a  widow  for  six  children  ;  for  a  husband  and  father  bit- 
terly opposed  to  attending  church  ;  for  sixteen  young  men  by 
class-leader ;  a  request  for  wives  given  up  to  the  intoxicating 
cup  ;  four  requests  for  fathers  from  sons  ;  one  for  a  nephew  ;  a 
father  and  m.other  for  seven  sons,  two  of  them  intemperate. 

The  reports  brought  into  the  morning  meetings  indicated  the 
immediate  results  of  the  work:  A  woman  came  into  the  inquiry 
meetings  broken  hearted.  She  was  a  wife  and  a  mother. 
After  she  had  laid  hold  on  Christ  herself,  she  wanted  us  to 
pray  for  her  husband  and  children  Last  evening  she  came  in, 
leading  that  husband  by  the  hand.  That  man  got  up  and  said 
he  would  accept  Christ.  This  m.other,  six  months  ago,  received 
a  letter  from  her  mother  in  England,  asking  that  when  our 
American  friends  '  (Messrs.  Moody  and  Sankey)  came  to 
America,  they  would  come  to  their  meetings.  Another  letter 
was  received  from  Scotland  by  an  infidel  from  his  mother.  He 
last  night  came  to  the  inquiry  meeting,  I  talked  with  him. 
He  had  a  fearful  struggle.  He  was  a  civil  engineer.  For  a 
good  many  years  he  had  roamed  around  the  world,  preaching 


MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA.  585 

against  Christ.  He  did  not  believe  that  he  preached.  It  was 
the  devil  in  him.  He  was  on  a  vessel  in  a  storm,  and  as  they 
thought  the  ship  was  going  down,  he,  like  a  poor  coward,  fell 
on  his  knees  in  prayer.  But  after  the  storm  he  forgot  it.  For 
the  last  two  days  this  man  has  been  in  terrible  agony.  He 
said  :  '•'  I  am  in  terror  ;  my  heart  is  broken.  I'll  lay  down 
the  weapons  of  my  rebellion.  I'll  write  to  my  mother  in  Scot- 
land about  it  to-morrow."     Keep  on  praying. 

At  the  inquiry  meeting  there  were  two  or  three  hundred 
seekers,  many  of  them  youths  of  from  twelve  to  sixteen  years 
of  age. 

A  curious  scene  was  observed  at  the  entrance  of  the  chapel 
of  the  Simpson  M.  E.  Church.  A  man  and  wmoan  of  middle 
age  and  v/ell  dressed,  coming  down  Willoughby  avenue  with 
the  throng  after  the  services  in  the  Rink,  stopped  at  the 
gateway  in  front  of  the  chapel.  After  a  moment  of  hurried, 
earnest  conversation,  the  man  stepped  backward  away  from  the 
woman  toward  the  chapel  steps,  all  the  time  looking  reproach- 
fully at  her.  He  mounted  the  steps  and  was  about  to  cross  the 
threshold  when  the  woman  stepped  quickly  forward  and,  putting 
her  foce  between  the  iron  bars  of  the  fence,  said,  in  troubled 
tones :  "  I  will  not  go  in  that  place  ;  you  shall  not ;  come  away 
at  once."     She  walked  hurriedly  away  and  the  man  followed. 

Yesterday,  at  our  Sunday-school,  in  place  of  the  usual 
closing  exercises,  we  invited  the  scholars  to  remain  for  a  prayer- 
meeting.  Five  hundred  remained.  Twenty  rose  and  asked  for 
prayers,  and  seven,  we  think,  found  peace  in  believing.  Last 
evening  at  the  Rink  very  many  souls  were  brought  to  Christ. 
In  the  inquiry-room  it  seemed  as  if  all  on  each  side  of  me  were 
anxious  to  find  Christ.  Going  home  last  night,  as  I  walked 
down  the  street,  I  talked  with  three  young  men. — one  of  them 
was  anxious,  but  hesitated.  I  said  to  him,  "You  can  be  con- 
verted before  you  reach  yonder  lamp-post,  if  you  will."  When 
within  twelve  feet  of  it  he  stopped  still,  and  after  a  struggle  said, 
"  I  will,"  with  intense  feeling.  I  turned  to  his  companion,  and 
after  a  struggle  he  said,  "  Yes,  I  too."  The  third  companion 
stiil  remained.     We  knelt  down  with  him  around  the  lamp-post. 


586 


MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 


and  after  a  prayer  he  accepted  Christ.  The  presence  of  God 
was  felt  in  this  city  yesterday.     Thanks  be  to  His  Holy  name. 

A  man  in  the  gallery  said  he  wanted  to  say  a  word  of  en- 
couragement. In  the  Rink  a  man  sat  before  him,  singing  with 
a  strong  voice — a  fine  looking  gentleman.  Something  said  to 
me :  "  I  must  speak  to  that  man.  It  was  an  effort.  With 
trembling  voice  I  said  :  "  Are  you  a  Christian  ?  "  "  No  ;  I  can't 
say  I  am."  I  asked  him  to  go  to  the  inquiry-room.  He  said 
^'  No  ;  it  is  to  conspicuous."  I  said,  "  I'll  go  with  you  ;  people 
won't  know  which  of  us  is  a  sinner."  He  said,  "Perhaps, 
presently."  I  said,  a  few  moments  after,  "  Presently  has  come." 
He  went  with  me,  sat  down  and  talked  with  me,  and  in  one 
half-hour  had  given  himself  definitely  to  Christ. 

Last  night  at  the  Rink  I  went  to  get  a  lady  to  come  to  the 
inquiry-room.  I  sent  a  lady  to  go  for  her  daughter.  She  said, 
"  I  can't  leave  here  at  present."  The  lady  who  went  for  the 
daughter  said,  at  the  close  of  the  Rink  meeting,  she  felt  so  im- 
pressed that  she  must  pray  for  some  one  who  would  not  come 
to  the  inquiry-meeting.  She  rose  up  and  prayed  in  the  body  of 
that  church.  Pretty  soon  the  daughter  came  running  into  the 
church,  almost  out  of  breath,  and  said,  "Your  prayer  has 
reached  me.  Nothing  had  ever  reached  me  before  your  prayer." 
The  mother  also  said,  "Your  prayer  saved  me  ;"  and  they  sat 
down  there  and  all  w^ere  blessed  together. 

A  man  rose  and  related  the  conversion  of  a  soldier  with  an 
empty  sleeve,  and  a  badge  on  his  breast,  revealing  the  shat- 
tered remnant  of  a  noble  man.  His  parents  were  members  of 
the  Reformed  Church  of  Kinderhook.  He  came  out  of  the 
army  a  drunkard.  His  wife  and  children  returned  from 
Sunday-school  one  day,  and  his  little  girl  said  to  him,  "Jesus 
loves  you."  He  pushed  her  away  in  anger,  and  rushed  out  to 
a  drinking  saloon  to  drink.  Just  as  he  was  putting  the  glass 
to  his  lips,  a  little  girl  rose,  as  if  in  a  mirror,  before  him,  and 
he  seemed  to  hear  ringing  in  his  ears,  "  Father,  Jesus  loves 
you."  He  dropped  the  glass,  and  rushed  out,  and  walked  the 
streets  all  night  in  agony.  He  went  home  and  said  to  his 
wife,  "Betsy,  I  want  you  to  pray  for  me."     This  man  is  now 


MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA.  587 

laboring  every  day  in  Water  street,  New  York,  trying  to  save 
the  lost  drunkards  there,  v/ilhout  pay  for  his  service. 

Mr.  Moody  then  related,  in  closing,  a  very  affecting  incident 
of  the  reconciliation  of  a  prodigal  son  and  stern  father  at  the 
bedside  of  a  dying  mother,  whose  last  act  in  expiring  wms  to 
place  their  hands  in  each  other's  clasp.  The  story  was  so  feel- 
ingly told  that  a  spell  of  suppressed  emotion  seemed  to  sway 
the  vast  audience,  and  when  Mr.  Moody  said,  "Let  us  pray," 
while  the  people  were  silently  communing,  Mr.  Sankey's  voice 
plaintively  breathed  forth,  "  Come  home,  prodigal  child."  The 
spell  was  broken,  and  there  was  a  wail  of  passionate  weeping  ; 
the  grief  of  the  young  man  particularly,  who  sat  near  the  plat- 
form, becoming  almost  uncontrollable.  Mr.  Moody  noticed 
this  at  once,  and  checked  tlie  excitement  by  stopping  Mr. 
Sankey  at  the  end  of  the  first  verse,  asking  the  audience  to  rise 
and  sing,  "  There  is  a  fountain  filled  with  blood." 

The  self-restraint  and  the  genuineness  of  Mr.  Moody's  work 
was  never  more  signally  displayed  than  in  this  slight  circum- 
stance. He  might  have  allowed  the  excitement  to  have  swept 
on  till  it  became  a  religious  frenzy,  which  would  have  been 
the  case  in  a  few  minutes,  and  many  mistaken  religious  leaders 
would  have  done  so  for  the  mere  gratification  of  their  own  love 
of  excitement.  But  Mr.  Moody,  realizing  that  mere  excite- 
ment is  not  healthy,  checked  it,  while  that  was  possible,  leav- 
ing to  the  influences  of  the  Holy  Spirit  the  completion  of  the 
work  which  had  evidently  commenced  in  many  hearts. 

Rev.  Mr.  Dixon,  a  colored  minister,  of  Concord  Street 
Baptist  Church,  said  Friday  morning  the  Lord  touched  him  in 
the  Rink,  while  Mr.  Moody  was  preaching  about  Daniel,  and 
he  got  up  and  ran  home  to  his  closet,  and  he  was  obliged  now 
to  ask  the  Lord  to  stay  his  hand,  he  was  so  full  of  the  joy  of 
the  Lord. 

The  brother  of  Orville  Gardner  arose  and  said  that  Orville 
said  to  him,  "  Though  I  am  a  cripple  and  cannot  walk,  go  and 
light  for  Jesus."  God  is  in  Brooklyn  and  He  will  shake  this 
place  from  top  to  bottom  if  we  only  trust  in  Him. 

Rev.    Mr.  Murray  related  the  conversion  of  a  man  of  intellect 


58-8  MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 

and  character  and  a  very  dear  friend,  who  was  addicted  to 
strong  drink.  The  speaker  invited  him  to  go  to  the  Rink 
meeting  to  hear  Mr.  Moody.  He  said:  "I'll  do  it  for  yom' 
sake."  He  went  and  God  touched  his  heart.  On  his  way  home 
he  resolved  he  would  crush  his  appetite  and  curb  his  profanity, 
and  set  up  his  family  altar  there  for  the  first  time  in  the  history 
of  his  family.  He  met  me  the  next  day,  and  embraced  me  with 
tears  of  thankfulness  that  I  asked  him  to  go  to  the  Rink  meet- 
ing. We  don't  know  what  results  come  from  little  things.  He 
asked  me  to  come  here  this  morning  and  ask  you  to  bear  him 
up  in  your  prayers. 

A  young  man  in  terrible  agony  and  tears  said  he  wanted  to 
find  Jesus.  We  told  him  how  the  best  we  could.  He  left  the 
place  greatly  relieved.  The  next  night  he  came  to  the  plat- 
form v/ith  his  face  shining  with  joy.  He  went  for  his  younger 
brother,  and  he  was  the  next  day  rejoicing  in  Christ.  Another 
young  man  came  to  the  meeting  at  the  Rink,  and  could  not  get 
in.  He  wandered  around  and  went  to  the  Dutch  Church  ad- 
joining, which  was  empty.  About  nine  o'clock  the  young  man 
came  into  the  young  men's  meeting  and  I  prevailed  on  him  to 
stay.  That  night  God  spoke  to  his  conscience.  He  did  not 
believe  in  anything.  He  went  away  saying  that  he  would  pray 
for  himself.  The  next  night  he  came  and  said,  "  Pray  for  me." 
Last  Thursday  morning,  you  may  remember,  I  made  a  request 
for  a  young  lady  sick  of  consumption,  asking  that  her  pains 
mi^ht  be  relieved.  God  told  me  to  rise  that  mornins:  and  make 
request,  which  I  did.  Friday  morning  her  pains  left  her.  She 
rose  from  her  bed,  made  her  little  bequests  of  money  and  gifts 
to  benevolent  objects  and  friends.  She  sat  up  on  her  couch 
all  through  the  evening,  talking,  with  her  mind  perfectly  clear. 
Pretty  soon  her  senses  left  her,  one  by  one.  She  says,  *'It  is 
all  dark  now.  I  can't  see,  but  it  is  all  bright  over  there." 
Pretty  soon  she  said  :  "  I  can't  hear  now.  But  Christ  is  here, 
all  here ;  doubts  are  gone."  At  1..30  a.  m.,  Sunday  morning 
she  went  to  her  rest.  That  prayer  last  Thursday  morning  for 
this  sick  young  lady  was  answered.  All  through  the  last  week 
I  was  praying  for  my  own  son,  eigb.teen  years    old,  my    son 


MOODY   AND   SANKEY    IN    AMERICA.  589 

Walter.  He  attended  meetings  at  the  Rink  several  times  with- 
out much  feeling.  He  last  night  came  out  of  the  inquiry  room 
with  brother  Sankey,  relying  on  Jesus. 

In  the  Simpson  Church  occurred  a  number  of  singular  scenes. 
Inquirers  and  all  who  desired  entrance  were  first  directed  into 
the  main  auditorium.  A  continuous  stream  of  people  poured 
in  from  all  entrances,  front  and  rear.  Mr.  Moody  took  charge 
of  the  meeting,  and  while  the  throng  were  crowding  in,  a  num- 
ber of  hymns  were  sung.  When  the  church  was  thoroughly  full, 
Mr.  Moody  asked  those  who  were  inquirers  and  who  were  really 
in  earnest  about  their  salvation  to  pass  into  the  inquiry  room 
while  the  audience  sang,  "Just  as  I  Am."  Immediately  the  sing- 
ing commenced,  two  long  processions  filed  through  the  two 
doors  into  the  chapel.  They  were  composed  principally  of 
young  men.  After  the  inquirers  had  retired,  Mr.  Moody  asked 
all  who  were  Christians  to  rise.  Very  few  were  left  sitting. 
While  a  hymn  was  sung,  he  went  down  an  aisle  and  spoke  to  a 
few  of  these,  and  then  after  leaving  the  meeting,  to  continue  as 
a  prayer  meeting,  went  into  the  inquiry  room.  The  number 
of  inquirers  dealt  with  was  estimated  to  be  from  a  hundred 
to  a  hundred  and  fifty.  A  number  of  Mr.  Moody's  Christian 
helpers  dealt  w'ith  many  of  these.  About  fifty  gathered  about 
Mr.  Moody  himself,  to  whom  he  made  plain  the  way  of  life. 
Among  his  coadjutors  at  present  is  Mr.  Needham,  the  well- 
known  Irish  evangelist.  Mr.  Needham,  as  we  announced,  was 
to  have  sailed  on  the  Spain  on  Saturday  for  Europe.  His 
family  were  placed  on  board,  and  everything  had  been  prepared 
for  travelling,  when  about  noon  Mr.  Moody  and  Mr.  McWil- 
liams  came  to  endeavor  to  persuade  him  to  remain  and  assist 
the  Brooklyn  work.  He  took  two  hours  to  pray  about  it,  and 
concluded  to  stay.  His  visit  abroad  is  therefore  indefinitely 
postponed,  perhaps  until  next  summer.  He  has  now  no  plans 
for  the  future,  and  will  simply  follow  divine  guidance.  He  will 
take  charge  of  one  of  the  overflow  meetings,  and  in  other  ways 
aid  Mr.  Moody. 

The  Christian  workers  present  last  night  were  jubilant. 
One  word  was  on  many  a  tongue — "  It's  grand."'     An  old  ^cn- 


590  MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 

tleman  said:  ''The  ice  is  broken."  Dr.  Duryea  says  a  young 
man  of  his  acquaintance,  of  very  fine  culture  and  wide  reading, 
came  to  him,  took  his  hand,  and  said:  "Doctor,  I'm  going." 
He  was  the  first  to  rise  in  the  main  auditorium  when  Mr.  Moody 
called  ujDon  inquirers.  He  had  read  German  writers  on  meta- 
physics, and  become  befogged  and  verging  on  Universalism,  but 
Mr.  Moody's  sermon  went  home,  and  broke  sunlight  through  the 
vapor  and  mystification  in  his  mind.  Cheering  instances  like 
these  occur  and  attest  the  force  of  divine  truth,  while  they  uplift 
the  courage  of  Christian  laborers. 

Many  people  ask,  "  How  many  people  have  been  converted 
by  the  special  services  that  are  being  held?" and  they  want  to 
measure  the  good  done  by  an  arithmetical  calculation.  So 
many  sermons  preached,  so  many  prayers  offered,  so  many 
hymns  sung,  so  many  people  gathered  at  the  services,  and  so 
many  converted,  is  the  rule  which  some  who  do  not  understand 
•the  nature  of  religious  work  seek  to  apply.  The  number  of 
conversions  will  probably  never  be  known  ;  certainly,  it  is  not 
important  that  any  accurate  statement  of  this  part  of  the  work 
should  now  be  made.  There  are,  however,  some  questions 
which  we  have  a  right  to  ask.  Are  the  Christians  of  Brooklyn 
being  stirred  up  to  holy  enthusiasm  and  consecrated  service  ? 
Is  there  any  general  awakening  among  the  church  members  '^ 
Do  they  hear  the  call  of  the  Master  to  go  out  into  the  highways 
and  hedges — into  the  dark  places  of  the  city — to  compel  by  their 
loving  entreaty  and  earnest  counsel  the  hardened  and  ignorant 
and  depraved  and  self-righteous  to  come  and  listen  to  the  good 
tidings  of  salvation  ?  These  are  questions  that  may  be  asked, 
and  to  which  answers  in  the  affirmative  can  now  be  given. 
The  churches  of  Brooklyn  were  never  more  alive  to  their  re- 
sponsibilities than  now,  and  this  gives  hope  that  a  genuine  re- 
vival has  already  commenced,  the  ultimate  result  of  which  may 
not  be  estimated,  and  will  never  be  known. 

One  of  the  most  hopeful  and  encouraging  features  of  the 
Brooklyn  special  services,  conducted  by  the  Messrs  Moody  and 
Sankey,  has  been  the  united  and  perfectly  harmonious  action  of 
the  minister.^  and   lavmen  of  all  denominations  of  Christians, 


MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 


591 


iPi-equcntly  may  be  seen  thirty  or  forty  of  the  city  pastors  gath- 
ered aiound  the  platform  in  the  Tabernacle  at  the  morning 
prayer-meetings,  and  all  ready  to  do  their  utmost  towards  in- 
creasing the  interest  and  success  of  the  services.  All  minor 
differences  have  sunk  into  obscurity  in  view  of  the  great  work 
which  is  being  carried  on  ;  and  there  is  no  thought  of  sectarian- 
ism in  the  heart  of  any  man  or  woman  actively  engaged  in  the 
work  of  winning  souls.  This  union  spirit  was,  it  will  be  remem- 
bered, also  a  leading  characteristic  of  the  revival  movement  in 
Great  Britain. 

Another  feature  of  blessing  is  an  increased  use  of  the  Bible 
by  the  attendants,  who  are  constantly  urged  and  inspired  to  its 
study   by  the  speaker's  appeals  and  example. 

Mr.  Moody's  habit  of  Bible  study  has  been  for  the  past  five 
years  to  rise  at  five  o'clock  and  give  an  hour  in  the  early  morn- 
ing to  the  study  of  the  Bible.  This  is  one  secret  of  his  great 
Bible  knowledge. 

Mr.  Moody's  Bible  is  an  interesting  book.  It  vjas  given  him 
by  a  friend,  and  bears  on  the  fly-leaf  the  words  :  "  D.  L.  Moody, 
Dublin,  December,  1872.— 'God  is  love.'  W.  Fay."  The  Bible 
is  an  8vo  volume,  with  flexible  black  morocco  covers  and  turned 
edges.  Though  given  Moody  in  the  last  month  of  1872,  it 
appears  as  if  it  might  have  seen  ten  years'  service.  Some  of 
the  leaves  are  worn  through  with  handling.  But  nearly  every 
page  gives  another  and  more  positive  proof  of  the  study  Mr. 
Moody  has  given  the  Book.  In  the  Old  Testament  many  por- 
tions are  annotated  on  nearly  every  page.  Especially  is  this  true 
of  those  parts  treating  of  the  history  of  the  Israelites,  the  chosen 
people  of  God.  But  in  the  New  Testament,  open  the  book 
wherever  one  may,  the  pages  are  marked  and  annotated  in 
black,  red,  and  blue  ink  to  a  wonderful  extent.  Sometimes 
certain  words  are  underscored  ;  again  a  whole  verse  is  inclosed 
in  black  lines,  with  mysterious  numbers  or  a  single  letter  of  the 
alphabet  marked  opposite.  All  around  the  margins  and  at  the 
chapter-heads  are  comments  on  certain  passages — an  idea  em- 
bodied in  two  or  three  words,  with  the  more  important  word 
underscored.     Turning  to  the  texts  of  the  sermons  Mr.  Moody 


592  MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 

has  preached  in  Brooklyn,  one  finds  the  burden  of  his  themes 
often  embodied  one  of  those  marginal  notes.  There  is  scarcely 
a  page  in  the  New  Testament  where  a  dozen  such  annotations 
could  not  be  counted  ;  while  in  some  instances  every  space  in 
the  margin  is  filled,  and  hardly  a  sentence  has  escaped  the 
evangelist's  pen. 

In  combating  men's  trivial  objections  he  said ;  one  of  the 
worst  excuses  is  the  old  Bible.  Of  all  the  sceptics  that  I  have 
ever  heard  talk  against  the  Bible,  I  have  yet  to  find  the  first 
one  that  has  ever  read  it  from  back  to  back.  They  read  a 
chapter  here  and  there,  and  lay  it  down  and  say  it  is  dark  and 
mysterious  to  them,  and  they  don't  understand  it,  and  they 
never  will  understand  it  until  they  are  spiritually  minded,  for 
its  truths  are  spiritually  discerned.  No  unrenewed  man  can 
understand  it.  What  he  can  know  is  that  he  has  sinned. 
Everything  tells  you  that  in  your  experience  in  life.  Your  rest- 
less spirit  and  anxious  soul,  whether  you  acknowledge  it  or  not, 
prove  it.  You  can  know  from  the  Bible  that  Jesus  Christ  came 
to  save  you,  a  sinner,  and  prove  it  by  trying  it. 

The  Bible  ought  to  be  read  right  through.  It  is  only  then  you 
can  know  the  music,  the  swell,  the  cadence,  the  rapture  and 
sorrow,  the  triumph  and  the  tears,  of  God's  Word.  What 
would  you  know  of  your  boy's  letter,  if  you  were  to  read  the 
superscription  on  Monday,  to  look  at  the  signature  on  Friday, 
and  read  a  little  in  the  middle  of  it  three  months  afterwards.''  I 
get  tired  toward  the  end  of  July  and  I  go  away  to  the  mountains. 
I  take  the  Bible  with  me ;  I  read  it  through,  and  I  feel  as  if  J 
had  never  seen  the  book  before.  I  have  spent  most  of  my  life 
in  reading  and  expounding  it,  yet  it  seems  as  if  I  had  never  seen 
it.  It  is  so  new,  so  rich,  so  varied,  the  truth  flashing  from  a 
thousand  unexpected  and  undiscovered  points,  with  a  light 
above  the  brightness  of  the  sun.  And  that  summer  reading  of 
the  Bible  is  what  I  call  tuning  the  instrument. 

If  anybody  does  not  believe  the  Bible,  he  has  never  read  it 
through  ;  he  may  have  read  a  little  here  and  there,  with  general 
commentaries  and  criticisms  between,  but  he  has  not  read  the 
whole.     Once  two  men  said,  "We  will  disprove  the  conversion 


MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERIC4. 


593 


of  Paul."'  They  read  it  through — and  wrote  a  book  in  proof  of 
it.  So  will  God  deal  with  all  destructive  critics  who  really  make 
themselves  masters  of  the  situation  they  intended  to  overthrov/. 

It  is  wonderful,  if  you  read  the  whole,  how  it  gets  hold  of  you 
somewhere.  I  have  tried  it  ;  and  I  appeal  to  you  who  know  it 
best,  v/hether  you  will  willingly  let  it  drop  out  of  your  fingers, 
when  it  has  once  got  into  the  movement  and  necessity  of  your 
being. 

One  secret  of  his  power  is  well  described  by  himself:  Mr. 
Moody  chose  his  subject,  "  The  Holy  Ghost,"  and  related  an 
incident  in  his  early  life  as  an  evangelist,  when  an  old  gentle- 
man had  said  to  him :  "  Young  man,  when  you  speak  again, 
honor  the  Holy  Ghost."  Mr.  Moody  said  he  had  never  for- 
gotten the  advice,  and  had  profited  much  from  it.  "The  Holy 
Spirit  is  a  person.  We  get  life  through  the  Holy  Ghost.  We 
can  have  no  revival  save  through  Him.  He  gives  hope.  When 
He  ai rives  we  lean  upon  something  more  than  human  supports. 
Men  often  utter  the  prayers  which  they  spoke  twenty  years  ago. 
We  only  know  how  to  pray  when  we  have  the  Holy  Spirit. 
There  are  two  kinds  of  Christians.  The  one  class  are  as  an 
ordinary  well,  from  which  you  must  pump  all  their  religion. 
The  other  are  artesian,  and  send  forth  the  waters  of  love  con- 
tinually. If  we  are  full  of  the  Spirit  to-day,  it  is  no  assurance 
for  to-morrow.  We  must  keep  at  the  fountain  all  the  time. 
Think  of  Elisha,  how  he  followed  Elijah  and  at  last  received  his 
robe  and  a  double  portion  of  his  grace.  That  old  farmer  made 
the  mightiest  prophet  the  world  ever  saw.  The  Church  is  living 
too  much  upon  old  manna.  They  think  one  supply  enough  for 
their  life."  When  Mr.  Moody  had  finished  the  whole  congre- 
gation sang  the  128th  hymn,  "Come  Holy  Spirit." 

Anotjier  Element  of  influence  has  been  forcibly  stated  :  here 
is  our  view  of  the  case  :  Unselfishness  is  the  greatest  power  in 
the  world.  The  man  who  gladly  makes  sacrifices  for  the  honor 
of  God  and  the  well  being  of  mankind  wields  an  immense  power. 
When  the  Holy  Spirit  is  allowed  to  enter  and  occupy,  the  hearts 
of  men  selfishness  disappears.  Selfishness  and  the  Holy  Spirit 
cannot  dwell  together.     It  is  because  of  the  absolute  unselfish- 


594  MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 

ness  of  these  evangelists  now  working  in  Brooklyn  that  multi- 
tudes hear  them  gladly.  They  are  earnest  and  enthusiastic,  not 
seeking  their  own,  but  Christ's  glory.  They  themselves  are 
nothing — Christ  is  everything. 

Persistent  effort  has  been  made  by  the  enemies  of  pure  and 
undefiled  religion  to  discover  flaws  in  the  character  and  n  ethods 
of  these  men.  The  world  itself,  which  generally  delights  in 
truthfulness,  and  fair  play,  has  frowned  down  the  effort  as  dis- 
honorable. Honest  Christians  know  well  the  falsit}-'  of  the  ac- 
cusation. These  self  denying  men  have  no  stain  of  Caesar's 
gold  about  them.  They  are  after  souls,  not  money.  They  are 
engaged  in  heaven's  mission,  working  to  lift  society  from  the 
debasing  bondage  of  Satan  to  the  blessed  service  of  Christ.  In 
self-sacrifice  they  are  strong.  Consistent  and  self-denying  lives 
are  yet  largely  an  undeveloped  power  within  the  Church. 
Unworthy  membership  breeds  much  mischief.  It  was  at  this 
citadel  of  sin  that  Moody  and  Sankey  directed  their  first  shot. 
The  sacred  fort  has  in  too  many  cases  been  betrayed  into  the 
hands  of  the  enemy  through  the  foes  within  it.  The  world  is 
not  reading  God's  word,  but  scanning  closely  the  lives  of  Chris- 
tian professors,  and  they  find  many  grievous  blemishes.  It  is 
because  Mcody  and  Sankey  are  like  Enoch  walking  daily  with 
God,  that  they  are  honored  and  successful.  They  have  learned 
that  most  difficult  lesson  that  we  cannot  serve  God  and  mam- 
mon. They  are  fully  persuaded  that  they  are  their  brother's 
keeper ;  and  men  flock  after  them  to  hear  the  truths  of  the 
GospCi  in  all  their  grand  simplicity  ;  to  learn  from  men  who  in 
their  lives  and  labors  present  glorious  examples  of  the  blessed 
influence  of  the  Gospel  message.  They  are  bold,  yet  most  un- 
assuming soldiers  of  the  cross  ;  not  afraid  of  the  warfare,  but 
rejoicing  in  the  conflict.  It  is  upon  such  that  the  blessing  of 
heaven  descends.  There  is  no  difficulty  in  understanding  the 
power  of  these  men.  It  is  of  God.  They  are  living  obedient 
lives.  If  we  fail  to  perceive  the  connection  the  fault  is  our  own. 
The  scales  have  not  yet  fallen  from  our  eyes. 

Mr.  Sankey's  singing  has  caused  almost  as  great  an  awaken- 
ing as  his  associate's  preaching.     Choristers  have  probably  as 


MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA.  595 

seldom  adopted  Sankey's  songs  as  ministers  have  used  Moody's 
sermons,  but  the  power  of  song  has  been  reaHzed  as  never  be- 
fore, the  artistic  quartette  with  its  soulless  music  is  going  out  of 
favor,  and  congregations  are  being  lectured,  with  good  effect, 
about  their  neglect  of  one  of  the  most  effective  means  of 
worshiiD. 

A  pervading  sentiment  of  vigor  of  soul  and  the  deepest  sin- 
cerity animates  him.  He  is  possessed  of  all  the  enthusiasm 
which  fills  the  speech  of  Mr.  Moody,  and  brands  his  words  on 
the  minds  and  in  the  hearts  of  men  as  by  fire.  But  it  is  enthu- 
siasm subdued  to  the  rhythm  and  melody  of  his  songs,  and  stirs 
the  souls  of  his  hearers  by  the  feeling  it  awakens  of  genuine 
and  whole-souled  praise,  such  as  the  devout  heart  in  moments 
of  religious  exaltation  may  long  for  but  seldom  attains  fully. 
This  is  the  impression  left  by  a  first  hearing  of  Mr.  Sankey, 
as  stated  by  many,  and  confirmed  by  the  almost  breathless  si- 
lence during  the  execution  of  his  solos^  and  the  fervor  with 
which  the  vast  body  of  the  audience  join  their  voices  to  swell 
the  chorus  of  praise.  Another  source  of  power  to  Mr.  Sankey 
is  the  manner  in  which  he  subordinates  and  modulates  the  organ 
in  the  reinforcement  of  his  voice.  The  effect  produced  is  some- 
thing which  would  hardly  seem  attainable  were  Mr.  Sankey  to 
sing  to  the  accompaniment  of  some  other  person.  Mr.  Sankey 
sings  and  plays  with  his  whole  soul  and  body.  He  is,  however, 
entirely  free  from  anything  which  might  be  called  a  mannerism, 
and  his  passages  of  greatest  force  are  executed  with  great  vigor 
and  animation  of  body,  wholly  natural,  and  suggested  by  th 
sentiment  and  stirring  feeling  of  the  hymn. 

In  explanation  of  the  chorus,  "  Hold  the  Fort  for  I  am  Com- 
ing," he  said  that  during  the  Rebellion  one  of  the  Union  officers 
m  command  of  a  fort  closely  invested  by  General  Hood,  was 
almost  persuaded,  by  the  distress  of  his  men,  to  surrender  the 
position,  when  he  received  a  dispatch  from  General  Sherman 
to  this  effect :  "  Hold  the  fort  fori  am  coming— W.  T.  Sherman." 
It  filled  the  soldiers  with  confidence,  they  kept  up  courage  and 
n'ere  saved.  He  exhorted  those  present  to  show  an  equallj- 
abiding  faith  in  Christ  and  they  would  be  saved. 


596  MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 

Mr.  Sankey  produced  a  remarkable  effect  by  the  manner  in 
which  he  rendered  the  last  line,  "Victory  is  nigh,"  and  dwelt 
with  redoubled  force  upon  the  word  "  Hold,"  until  the  vast 
chorus  had  caught  the  spirit  and  action  of  the  leader.  Mr. 
Sankey  also  sang  the  verses  of  the  i8th  hymn,  "  Rescue  the 
perishing,"  but  the  audience  did  not  respond  as  enthusiastically 
as  usual  in  the  chorus.  After  the  services  Mr.  Sankey  said 
that  this  hymn  was  new,  at  least  he  had  not  had  it  very  long, 
and  that  a  large  portion  of  the  audience  was  unacquainted  with ' 
the  tune.  He  was  confident  they  would  sing  it  with  the  usual 
force  after  hearing  it  a  few  more  times.  He  expressed  himself 
highly  pleased  with  the  interest  the  audiences  had  shown  in  the 
singing  throughout  the  week,  and  said  that  feature  of  the  meet- 
ings was  very  similar  to  their  experience  in  London. 

One  of  the  most  celebrated  of  Mr.  Sankey's  collection  of 
hymns  is  "  The  Ninety  and  Nine."  It  was  a  favorite  in  Eng- 
land, and  is  much  admired  here.  Several  statements  concern- 
ing its  origin  have  been  published  which  conflict  with  each  other, 
and  no  one  of  them,  Mr.  Sankey  said  yesterday,  is  correct.  The 
true  facts  in  the  case  are  these :  Some  time  in  1873,  Mr. 
Sankey  being  then  in  England  with  Mr.  Moody  for  the  first 
time,  bought  a  copy  of  llie  Christian  Age,  a  London  religious 
paper  publishing  Dr.  Talmage's  sermons,  and  in  one  corner 
found  this  hymn.  He  had  never  seen  nor  heard  of  it  before. 
It  pleased  him,  and  seemed  adapted  to  religious  work.  He 
cut  it  out  of  the  paper,  and  three  days  afterward  he  sung  it  at 
a  meeting  in  Free  Assembly  Hall  in  Edinburgh,  having  com- 
posed the  music  himself  A  short  time  after,  he  received  a 
letter  from  a  lady  thanking  him  for  having  sung  the  hymn,  and 
stating  that  the  author  was  her  sister,  Miss  Eliza  C.  Claphane 
of  Melrose,  Scotland.  She  had  written  the  hymn  in  1868  and 
shortly  after  died.  She  and  her  whole  family  were  members 
of  the  Church  of  Scotland,  and  were  not  Unitarians,  as  stated 
in  this  country.  Mr.  Sankey  replied  to  the  lady's  letter,  asking 
if  her  sister  had  ever  written  any  other  hymns,  and  was  told 
that  she  had  written  several  others  which  w^ere  sent  to  The 
Family  Treasury,  a  religious  paper  of  which  the  late  Dr.  Arnot 


MOODY   AND   SANKEY   IN   AMERICA.  597 

was  the  editor,  but  only  ''The  Ninety  and  Nine"  was  ever 
published.  Mr.  Sankey  communicated  with  him,  and  received 
several  pieces  of  manuscript.  The  only  other  hymn  by  the 
same  author  in  Mr.  Sankey's  collection  is  the  43d,  "  Beneath 
the  Cross  of  Jesus."  He  has  been  gathering  hymns  for  the 
past  eight  years,  keeping  a  scrap-book  for  that  purpose.  Many 
of  them  are  found  in  the  common  Sunday-school  collections, 
and  were  not  known  in  England  before  Moody  and  Sankey 
introduced  them.  Since  that  time  they  have  become  the  most 
popular  hymns  in  Great  Britain.  While  the  evangelists  were 
in  Scotland  they  at  first  found  difficulty  in  inducing  people  to 
smg  their  hymns,  as  the  Presbyterians  preferred  their  version 
of  the  Psalms.  The  evangelists  were  accustomed  to  sing  the 
looth,  23d,  and  40th  Psalms,  or  the  ist,  107th,  and  125th 
Hymns  of  the  collection,  and  then  ask  the  Presbyterian  to  sing 
"  Hold  the  Fort,"  which  they  usually  did,  and  at  length  sang 
any  of  the  hymns. 

The  record  of  God's  gracious  dealings  by  the  agency  of  his 
honored  servants  in  Brooklyn  promises  to  be  eclipsed  by  the 
brilliant  display  of  divine  mercy  on  their  work  in  Philadelphia  ; 
and  we  may  bring  our  review  to  a  close  by  giving  the  keynote 
as  struck  by  Mr.  Moody  the  morning  of  his  advent  in  the  city 
of  churches. 

"  Ah  !  Lord  God  !  behold  thou  hast  made  the  Heaven  and 
the  earth  by  thy  great  power  and  stretched-out  arm  and  there 
is  nothing  too  hard  for  thee." 

"  And  there  is  nothing  too  hard  for  thee."  During  the  past 
two  years,  into  every  town  and  city  that  Mr.  Sankey  and  I  have 
gone,  we  always  took  this  verse  as  the  keynote  to  our  work. 
We  generally  commence  every  prayer-meeting  by  reading  this 
verse — nothing  is  too  hard  for  God — and  it  was  a  wonderful 
help  to  us.  Sometimes  our  ways  seemed  hard  ways.  Then  we 
came  back  to  the  old  text  and  these  ways  were  freed  from  all 
darkness.  It  sometimes  seemed  as  if  some  men  could  not  be 
converted.  But  we  came  back  to  the  old  text,  and  flinty  hearts 
would  break.  At  Edinburgh  I  was  told  that  a  young  man  who 
was  pointed  out  to  me  was  the  chairman  of  an  infidel  club.     I 


59^  MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 

went  and  stood  beside  him,  and  asked  him  if  he  was  thinking 
of  his  soul.  He  turned  to  me  and  said,  "How  do  you  know 
I've  got  one?"  I  thought  it  was  no  use  trying,  but  then  I 
thought  nothing  is  too  hard  for  God.  I  asked  him  if  I  might 
pray  for  him.  He  said,  "  You  may  pray  if  you  like.  Try  your 
hand  on  me."  I  got  down  on  my  knees  and  prayed  for  him. 
His  head  was  held  up  and  his  eyes  did  not  notice  me,  and  he 
seemed  to  say  to  the  people  that  my  prayers  did  not  affect  him 
at  all.  For  six  long  months  prayers  were  daily  offered  in 
prayer-meetings  for  the  infidel.  This  was  in  January  or  the  lat- 
ter part  of  December,  and  a  year  afterward,  or  a  little  over  a 
year,  when  we  were  at  work  in  Liverpool,  I  got  a  letter  from  a 
person  in  Edinburgh,  who  said  that  the  infidel  was  at  the  foot 
of  the  cross,  crying  for  mercy  ;  and  just  as  w^e  were  leaving 
England  we  heard  that  he  was  leading  a  meeting  every  night. 
I  was  to  give  you  this  as  our  key-note — nothing  is  too  hard 
for  God.  It  is  just  as  easy  for  God  to  save  the  most  abandoned 
man  as  for  me  to  turn  my  hand  over.  If  this  is  God's  work,  we 
had  better  cling  to  it ;  if  this  is  Christ's  work,  it  is  as  lasting  as 
eternity  itself  I  have  a  good  deal  more  hope  of  this  prayer- 
meeting  than  the  meetings  at  the  Rink.  It  is  not  preaching 
that  you  want  you  have  plenty  of  preaching.  You  have  plenty 
of  men  who  can  preach  better  than  I  can.  You  have  plenty  of 
men  who  can  sing  better  than  Mr.  Sankey  can.  Let  this  be 
your  key-note — nothing  is  too  hard  for  God  to  do  in  His  great 
power. 

I  asked  my  boy  how  God  created  the  world.  He  said,  "  He 
spoke."  That  is  all ;  "He  said,  let  there  be  light,  and  there 
was  light."  He  can  convert  the  thief,  the  harlot,  the  most 
abandoned,  and  another  class  still  harder,  that  is  the  self  right- 
eous Pharisee.  God  can  do  it.  Nothing  is  too  hard  for  him. 
Let  us  every  morning  keep  this  text  in  our  hearts,  "Nothing 
is  too  hard  for  thee."  Our  God  can  do  it.  They  tell  us  that 
the  sun  is  thirteen  hundred  thousand  times  larger  than  the 
world,  and  our  God  created  it.  There  have  been  eighty  millions 
of  other  suns  discovered,  but  these  are  only  a  fringe  on  the 
garments  of  God.     Our  God   did   it  all.      If,  then,  God  is  so 


MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA.  599 

great,  shall  we  not  ask  him  for  great  things  ?  We  honor  God 
by  asking  for  great  things.  Alexander  had  a  general  who  ac- 
complished a  great  victory;  and  it  pleased  him  greatly.  He 
told  the  general  to  draw  on  his  treasurer  for  any  amount  he 
wished,  and  directed  his  treasurer  to  honor  the  draft.  The 
draft  was  so  large  that  the  treasurer  was  afraid  to  pay  it.  The 
emperor  said,  "Didn't  I  tell  you  to  honor  his  draft.-*  Don't 
you  know  he  honors  me  by  making  so  large  a  draft  ? "  Don't 
you  know  we  honor  God  by  asking  for  great  things?  The 
church  has  been  asking  for  little  things  too  long. 

Let  us  go  nt)w  to  the  20th  verse.  "  Behold  I  am  the  Lord, 
the  God  of  all  flesh.  Is  there  anything  too  hard  foi  me  ?  " 
Just  as  if  it  pleased  him.  He  says  to  Jeremiah,  "  Is  there 
anything  too  hard  for  me}  I  am  the  Lord,  the  God  ol  all 
flesh."  God  has  shown  us  great  things,  but  when  we  accept 
his  truth  we  will  see  still  greater  things. 

The  next  chapter,  T)*^  verse :  "  Call  unto  Me  and  I  will 
answer  thee  and  show  thee  great  and  mighty  things,  which  thou 
knowest  not."  Now,  my  friends,  let  us  this  morning  call  upon 
God,  and  when  v^'e  pray  let  us  ask  him  for  something.  There 
are  a  great  many  who  come  for  nothing,  and  therefore  they  get 
nothing.  Let  us  come  with  some  great  burden  upon  our  hearts 
— some  great  petition.  Let  us  bring  it  before  God.  Let  us  try 
it.  When  a  man  was  one  time  making  a  long  prayer,  and  ask- 
ing for  nothing  in  particular,  an  old  Vv'oman  says,  "  Ask  God 
for  something,  and  see  if  he  don't  give  it  you."  Let  us  ask 
for  something,  and  we  will  get  it.  Let  every  mother  ask  for  the 
salvation  of  her  sons  and  daughters.  Nothing  is  too  hard 
for  him.  We  may  not  see  the  answers  to  our  prayers,  but 
God  does  answer  the  prayers  of  the  faithful. 

Between  thirty  and  forty  years  ago,  at  a  prayer-meeting 
which  I  held,  there  was  a  mother  -who  had  a  very  bad  son.  He 
was  a  very  bad  man  ;  he  was  very  profane  and  was  one  of  the 
noted  men  of  the  town  for  his  sin.  And  when  the  church  was 
struck  with  lightning  he  said  he  w^ould  have  given  $25  if  it  had 
burned  it  down.  During  the  past  few  weeks  the  Lord  God  has 
found  him.     He  has  resolved  to  stop  swearing  and  come  back 


6oO  MOODY   AND   SANKEY    IN   AMERICA. 

to  church.  I  asked  him  to  go  down  on  his  knees  and  pray. 
He  answered  that  he  had  been  on  his  knees  all  day.  We  ma}' 
not  see  the  answers  to  our  prayers,  but  God  answers  the  prayer 
of  faith.     Let  us  pray. 

Our  heavenly  Father,  we  thank  Thee  for  this  "  Sweet  Hour 
of  Prayer."  We  thank  thee  for  the  privilege  we  have  this 
morning  of  coming  to  this  place  and  worshipping,  and  we  pray 
that  thou  wouldst  give  us  the  spirit  of  prayer.  Teach  us  how 
to  pray.  May  we  come  and  ask  thee  great  things.  Nothing 
is  too  hard  for  thee.  So  we  pray  that  thou  would  take  the 
whole  country  to  thyself  and  lay  it  at  thy  feet.  'Do  a  work  in 
this  country  that  shall  make  all  men  embrace  salvation.  In' 
answer  to  prayer  may  there  go  up  a  cry,  "^  What  shall  I  do  to 
be  saved  ?  "  Teach  thy  servant  to  preach.  Send  him  a  mes- 
sage from  the  upper  world  to-night,  and  may  his  words  come 
from  the  heart  and  go  to  the  hearts  of  many.  We  pray  for 
these  mothers  that  are  here  this  morning.  May  they  pray  for 
their  sons  and  daughters,  that  they  may  be  saved.  We  pray 
for  these  Sunday-school  teachers  who  have  unconverted  schol- 
ars ;  may  they  labor  and  pray  much.  We  pray  that  the  chil- 
dren may  be  gathered  into  the  fold  of  Christ.  May  the  harvest 
be  ripe,  and  may  we  come  to  this  place  carrying  our  sheaves, 
and  Christ  will  have  all  the  praise  and  glory.     Amen. 


MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA.  6oi 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 

The  Evangelists  in  Philadelphia. 

Their  advance  on  Philadelphia  had  been  carefully  prepared 
for  by  earnest,  wise,  and  strong  men,  who  arranged  for  a  gigantic 
campaign  corresponding  with  the  greatness  of  their  city,  and  the 
popularity  of  the  men  who  had  carried  Brooklyn  by  storm.  The 
freight  depot,  corner  Thirteenth  and  Market  Streets,  was  fitted  up 
for  the  accommodation  of  twelve  thousand  persons,  as  many  as  it 
was  probable  the  preacher's  voice  could  reach.  A  grand  choir 
of  five  hundred  trained  and  superior  singers  was  drilled  to  act 
as  a  choir  to  aid  Mr.  Sankey,  and  a  union  of  churches  effected, 
by  which  all  the  ablest  and  most  efficient  Christians  were  com- 
bined in  solid  phalanx.  Unworn  by  the  immense  labors  undergone 
in  Brooklyn,  the  brethren  tore  themselves  away  from  their  friends 
there,  and  sped  to  the  City  of  Brotherly  Love,  there  to  preach 
and  sing  of  that  Divine  Love  which  is  the  theme  of  sermon  and 
song  by  day  and  by  night,  wherever  the  evangelists  set  up  their 
standard.  Never  had  men  equal  advantages,  and  never  was 
more  expected  of  human  beings.  There  was  a  feeling  of  need  in 
the  churches  of  something  more  than  they  had,  and  they  were 
looking  to  the  men  whom  God  had  so  greatly  honored,  and  stood 
ready  to  co-operate  with  them.  In  one  branch  of  the  church, 
this  was  the  testimony:  Rev.  W.  P.  Corbit  spoke  with  much 
earnestness.  The  Methodist  Church,  he  said,  was  in  a  deplor- 
able condition.  The  chief  causes  were  a  laxity  of  discipline  and 
a  want  of  praying  bands.  A  speedy  remedy  for  this  state  of 
things  was  needed.  No  new  agencies  were  wanted.  The  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church,  worked  by  its  own  machinery,  would 
take  the  world,  if  it  were  allowed  to  work.  It  is  the  pioneer 
church  in  this  country.  The  remedy  is  in  union  of  effort  and 
activity.     Preachers  had  been  preaching  their  heads  off  nearly, 


.602  MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 

and  yet  were  effecting  nothing.  There  was  a  disintegration  and 
selfishness  about  the  Church.  Each  one  of  the  church  organiza- 
tions thought  of  itself  only.  There  was  a  jealousy  among  the 
preachers  and  lay  brethren  that  ought  not  to  exist.  The  only 
remedy  is  union.  There  must  be  a  coming  together,  and  a  re- 
turn to  the  old  circuit  system.  Let  the  preachers  and  people 
gather  together  as  Moody  and  Sankey  have  got  them  together. 
He  did  not  depreciate  Moody  and  Sankey,  but  they  had  many 
men  in  their  own  body  who  were  just  as  gifted  as  the}^,  or  more 
so.  It  was  not  Moody,  and  it  was  not  Sanke}',  but  the  power 
which  they  possess  of  bringing  good  people  together  to  work  for 
God. 

In  another  quarter  it  was  said,  and  we  may  understand  the 
language  as  confession :  The  Church  was  never  more  aggressive 
than  now.  Machinery  was  never  better  managed.  There  never 
was  so  much  of  it.  The  display  of  strength  was  never  finer.  But 
all  this  may  be  only  equipped  and  organized  weakness.  The 
Church  is  nothing  if  not  pious.  More  than  this,  it  is  very  little 
if  not  consistently  pious.  To  be  zealously  affected  in  a  good 
cause,  is  good  only  on  condition  that  it  be  '''■  always^  A  church 
is  an  ekklesia — a  company  called  out  from  the  world.  Its  strength, 
therefore,  lies  in  its  divergence  from  the  world.  To  be  in  it,  yet 
not  of  it,  is  the  double  problem  which  our  machinery  and  our 
spirit  must  combine  to  solve. 

Christians  themselves  were  ready  to  be  touched  with  an  electric 
sliock  by  these  surcharged  evangelists.  And  this  was  early  seen 
to  be  a  source  of  weakness  as  well  as  of  strength  to  the  work.  Sin- 
ners were  to  be  reached  by  these  fiery  apostles,  and  the  church 
members  filled  all  the  seats  before  them.  So  that  the  cry  has 
been  raised  by  one  of  the  papers,  and  may  be  repeated  through- 
out the  land,  that  Christians  ma^^, stand  in  the  way  of  the  fullest 
success  of  the  monster  meetings  likelv  to  be  held  all  over  the 
country. 

The  Brooklyn  revival  has  been  in  certain  features  a  sad  disap- 
pointment to  us  who  have  taken  an  interest  and  part  in  it.  Mr. 
Moody  failed,  it  must  be  confessed,  in  his  evening  meetings  at  the 


MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA.  603 

Rink  to  reach  that  outside  class  which  he  sought.  The  reason 
for  his  faiku'e  is  so  discreditable  that  we  almost  hesitate  to  give 
it.  But  it  must  be  confessed  that  it  was  the  dishonesty,  the  self- 
ishness of  excitement-seeking  professed  Christians,  that  made 
these  meetings  a  partial  failure.  Mr.  Moody  tried  his  best  to 
open  the  door  into  his  meetings  to  those  who  are  not  church- 
goers, and  to  shut  it  against  church-members.  He  begged  these 
latter  to  stay  at  home.  He  plead  with  them  ;  but  they  still  would 
come.  He  then  issued  tickets,  that  were  offered  only  to  the  non- 
church-goers  ;  but  the  conscience-hardened  professors  would  rob 
their  unconverted  neighbors  of  their  tickets  and  lie  their  way  into 
the  Rink,  and  then  have  the  face  to  stand  up  when  all  Christians 
were  requested  to  rise,  and  thus  flaunt  their  hypocrisy  in  the  face 
of  the  evangelist.  Our  words  are  strong,  but  the  responsibility 
of  souls  is  on  the  head  of  these  "  Christians,"  who  have  yet  to 
learn  that  Christianity  means  honor  and  truthfulness.  We  do  not 
like  to  say  these  words  ;  but  we  commend  them  now  to  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Philadelphia  churches.  In  a  famine,  that  man,  or 
crowd  of  men,  were  beneath  all  contempt  who,  with  cellars  stored 
with  grain  and  their  cheeks  standing  out  for  fatness,  should  crowd 
the  bureaus  of  public  charity,  and  prevent  the  poor  from  receiv- 
ing the  dole  that  should  save  them  from  starvation.  But  nothing 
better,  nay,  worse,  has  been  the  conduct  of  these  greedy  profess- 
ors, very  many  of  them  from  our  cities,  who  have  pushed  the 
Brooklyn  hungry,  starving  poor  away  from  the  Gospel  feast.  May 
the  Lord  not  have  mercy  on  their  souls  until  they  repent. 

It  is  an  unusual  spectacle  to  behold  Christians  so  eager  to  be 
fed  or  taught,  and  it  is  probable  that  the  blessed  results  will  ap- 
pear in  thousands  of  churches. 

A  Scottish  Sunday-school  teacher  says  :  "  I  venture  to  send 
you  the  following  letter  from  London,  because  of  the  reference  to 
young  women's  meetings,  which  are  already  proving  so  useful  to 
the  many  girls  in  our  country  who  consider  themselves  too  grown 
up  and  too  dignified  to  attend  Sunday-school.  The  letter  tells 
its  own  story,  but  I  may  just  add,  in  thankful  acknowledgment 
of  our  loving  Father's  willingness  to  bless  the  feeblest  attempt 


604  MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 

of  the  weakest  beginner,  that  that  young  lady  was  the  very  first 
stranger  I  ever  spoke  to  about  coming  to  Jesus.  It  was  only  the 
night  before,  while  Mr.  Moody  was  preaching,  that  I  myself  got 
into  the  sunshine ;  and  when  that  next  night  she  sat  beside  me 
looking  so  sad,  I  could  not  help  saying  to  her,  '  Jesus  has  made 
me  so  happy,  won't  you  let  him  make  you  happy  too  ? '  She 
seemed  just  waiting  to  be  taken  by  the  hand,  and  went  with  me 
almost  at  once  to  the  inquiry-room. 

"  I  write  now  in  testimony  of  the  fact  that  I  am  one  of  the 
many,  many  '  church  members '  who  will  thank  God  through  all 
eternity  for  sending  Messrs.  Moody  and  Sankey  to  our  country  ; 
for,  through  their  means,  we  have  been  led  to  exchange  our 
hopes  and  fears  for  a  glad  certainty ^  and  we  can  now  say,  '/ 
know  whom  I  have  believed,  and  am  persuaded  that  he  is  able  to 
keep  that  which  I  have  committed  unto  him.' 

"  'On  his  word  I  am  resting,  assurance  divine, 
I  am  "hoping"  no  longer,  I  know  he  is  mine.' 

"  The  following  is  the  letter  to  which  I  have  referred : 

" '  London,  October  3,  1875. 

"  'Dear  Miss :  I  feel  that  I  have  neglected  this  duty  too 

long.  I  ought  to  have  written  to  you  before.  You  were  the 
means  in  God's  hands  of  making  me  one  of  his  own  children. 
Oh,  how  happy  I  have  been  since  the  night  you  won  me  for  our 
blessed  Redeemer  !  You  do  not  know  who  I  am,  but  possibly 
you  may  remember  me  when  I  tell  you  that  you  gave  me  a  red 
hymn-book  of  Mr.  Sankey's  with  your  address  in  it.  It  was  at 
the  Agricultural  Hall  I  met  you,  and  you  took  me  into  the  in- 
quiry-room. After  talking  to  me  for  some  time  you  brought  me 
to  Mr.  Moody,  and  Mr.  Moody  handed  me  over,  with  several 
other  young  women,  to  a  gentleman  from  Newcastle,  and  before 
I  left  the  inquiry-room  I  had  found  Jesus  as  my  Saviour.  How 
precious  he  has  been  to  me  since  that  night !  I  went  to  hear 
Mr.  Moody  that  evening  out  of  mere  curiosity,  and  had  you  not 
taken  me  into  the  inquiry-room,  possibly  I  should  have  gone 


MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA.  605 

away  unimpressed.  Afterward  I  went  several  times  to  hear  Mr. 
Mood}'  at  tlie  Opera  House.  I  heard  the  address  to  the  con- 
verts there,  and  may  the  burning  zeal  I  felt  created  in  my  breast 
that  night  continue.  How  I  wish  I  had  more  leisure  to  work  for 
Jesus,  and  more  boldness.  I  became  a  member  of  a  little  chapel 
close  to  home  soon  after,  and,  as  Mr.  Moody  advised,  I  went  to 
the  pastor  first,  and  asked  him  for  work.  He  found  me  some- 
thing to  do  among  the  aged.  One  of  my  old  people  cannot  read, 
and  others  are  so  old  they  cannot  see.  One  poor  old  body  is 
bed-ridden.  It  is  very  pleasant  work,  but  I  always  felt  I  was  not 
actually  winning  souls  for  Jesus,  they  being  mostly  Christians. 
I  have  been  asking  God  for  some  time  to  open  up  a  way  for  me, 
and  now  my  prayer  has  been  answered  in  a  way  I  hardly  ex- 
pected. Our  dear  pastor  has  planned  a  young  women's  meeting, 
which  is  to  be  held  one  night  in  the  week  from  half-past  eight  till 
half-past  nine  ;  rather  late,  but  that  is  the  most  convenient  hour 
for  business  girls,  whom  it  is  principally  for.  The  plan  is  that 
each  worker  is  to  give  out  not  less  than  one  dozen  invitations ; 
these  are  to  be  given  in  the  streets,  as  the  girls  leave  their  differ- 
ent business  houses.  There  never  has  been  anything  of  the  kind 
done  in  this  part  of  the  vineyard.  The  invitations  are  very  neat, 
and  not  like  common  circulars  or  bills.  Outside  there  is  printed 
an  invitation  and  a  warm  welcome  for  Wednesday  next.  Inside 
there  is  a  small  address  telling  them  how  pleased  we  will  be  to  see 
them  ;  also,  that  if  they  are  strangers  from  home  in  London,  they 
will  meet  many  who  can  sympathize  with  them,  being  also  far 
from  home.  We  had  a  large  meeting  of  workers.  I  do  not 
doubt  success.  It  has  been  made  a  great  subject  of  prayer,  and 
God  has  promised  that  where  two  or  three  are  agreed  on  one 
subject  he  will  grant  their  request.     Will  you  pray  for  us  ? 

" '  Etc.,  etc.  C W .'  " 

In  this  way  the  seed  sown  may  yield  bountiful  harvests  year 
by  year.  Mr.  Moody,  in  his  first  sermon  at  Philadelphia,  said  : 
"  Letters  come  in  from  all  parts  saying  that  the  prayer-meetings 
are  four  or  five  times  larger  than  ever  before  ;  the  prayer-meet- 


6o6  MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 

ing  connected  with  one  of  the  largest  churches  in  New  York,  at 
which  before  only  a  few  people  attended,  has,  during  the  last  few 
weeks,  crowded  the  lecture-room  ;  all  this  shows  that  the  spirit 
of  prayer  is  coming  on  the  nation.  God  is  ready  to  give  us  a 
blessing.  I  never  had  such  large  prayer-meetings  in  any  of  the 
cities  in  Great  Britain  as  we  had  in  Brooklyn.  Some  say  this  is 
all  sensational.  If  you  can  get  three  or  four  thousand  people  to 
meet  together  and  pray,  not  to  hear  some  man,  but  to  meet  God, 
and  call  on  God,  it  shows  God  is  in  the  movement.  This  is  no 
sensationalism  or  false  excitement.  If  we  can  but  stir  up  the 
people  to  pray,  the  blessing  is  ours.  I  would  rather  know  how 
to  pray  like  Daniel  than  to  preach  like  Gabriel." 

It  was  amazing  to  note  how  the  subject  of  religion  was  handled 
by  the  secular  press,  whose  readers  numbered  millions  ;  and  their 
utterances  deserve  to  be  gathered  and  reperused  and  studied,  for 
their  corroborative  testimony  to  the  importance  and  thoroughness 
of  the  movement.  They  used  language  like  this,  which  deserves 
the  consideration  of  professed  Christians  as  well  as  worldly  peo- 
ple :  "  With  all  this  we  are  quite  well  aware  that  there  is  a  large 
class  of  thin-brained,  vacant-minded  persons  for  whom  life  has 
nothing  serious  except  personal  discomfort,  and  who  are  most 
flippant  over  the'  weightiest  problems  of  existence ;  and  that 
these  stand  ready  upon  the  slightest  pretext  to  make  the  whole 
business  a  jest  and  turn  it  into  ridicule.  But  however  lightly 
they  may  treat  the  matter,  however  much  they  may  burlesque  the 
actors  in  it,  and  make  of  their  zeal  and  devotion  a  mockery  and 
a  jest,  one  thing  is  certain,  that  no  man  or  set  of  men  can  make 
a  religious  movement  of  the  importance  of  this  one  ridiculous 
unless  it  be  the  men  themselves  who  are  engaged  in  it.  So  long 
as  they  are  sincere  and  earnest  and  can  forget  themselves  in  the 
greatness  of  their  work,  nothing  can  withstand  them,  and  cer- 
tainly nothing  can  detract  from  their  dignity  or  belittle  their 
efforts.  But  the  emotions  lie  close  together.  High  religious 
sentiment  is  of  a  brittle  edge,  and  easily  crumbles  into  silly  sen- 
timentality. Faith  lies  very  close  to  superstition  ;  it  is  but  a  step 
from   trustfulness  to  blind  credulity.      There   are  well-marked 


MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA.  607. 

metes  and  bounds  which  cannot  be  disregarded  in  the  presenta- 
tion of  reHgious  truths  and  the  expression  of  religious  sentiments 
and  emotions.  Within  these  limits  the  advocate  or  exhorter  is 
invested  with  a  grandeur  of  personal  dignity  which  belongs  to 
the  man  who  is  saturated  with  his  belief,  and  who,  in  utter  un- 
consciousness of  self,  is  rapt  in  the  contemplation  of  what  he 
conceives  to  be  the  absolute  and  awful  truth.  These  limits 
overstepped  for  an  instant  or  by  a  word,  and  his  power  is  gone. 
Between  pathos  and  bathos  the  difference  is  less  than  of  a  letter  j 
the  step  is  that  '  one  '  from  the  sublime. 

"  It  should  not  be  forgotten  by  the  leaders  in  this  revival 
movement  that  religion  is  by  no  means  all  emotional ;  that  it 
rests  on  reason  and  common  sense,  which  its  ministers  and  mis- 
sionaries must  not  affront  by  lack  of  logic,  or  shock  by  shallow 
illustrations  and  weak  appeals. 

"The  attitude  and  act  of  prayer  are  beyond  all  other  things 
in  life  invested  with  solemnity  and  clothed  in  mystery.  It  is  the 
supreme  act  of  faith  ;  approached  by  the  penitent  with  doubts  and 
questions  and  infinite  wondering ;  only  slowly  apprehended,  and 
so  immeasurably  vast  in  its  meaning  to  the  helpless  soul  strug- 
gling upward  on  it,  that  man  at  his  very  best  can  only  throw  him- 
self upon  it  in  utter  self-distrust  and  leave  the  rest  to  God.  The 
questioning  men  and  women,  longing  to  learn  the  truth  and  to 
lead  true  lives,  get  no  light  nor  comfort  from  any  flippant  illus- 
trations of  the  power  of  prayer.  They  excite  doubts  instead  of 
removing  them ;  they  confirm  skepticism  and  awaken  no  convic- 
tion ;  they  do  not  attract  but  repel  the  sincere  seeker  after  truth. 
The  work  in  hand  is  of  too  great  moment  to  be  handled  without 
the  profoundest  care  and  the  most  thoughtful  consideration  of 
every  word  spoken  and  every  act  done. 

"  It  cannot  be  denied  that  a  '  revival  of  religion,'  as  it  is  called, 
adds  largely  to  the  merely  moral  strength  of  society  and  increases 
the  number  of  those  who  honestly  mean  to  do  right.  Every 
reader  has  known  within  his  personal  experience  more  than  one 
instance  of  a  bad  nature  made  better,  of  a  degraded  character 
elevated,  of  an  unwise  life  made  true  and  rational,  by  the  acqui- 


,6o8  MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 

sition  of  religious  motives.  Hypocrisy,  humbug,  conceit,  vanity, 
fanaticism — these  are  words  which  fall  easily  from  our  tongues  ; 
but  the  fact  remains  that  hundreds  and  thousands  are  really  in 
earnest.  These  accessions  to  the  right-doing  side  of  the  popula- 
tion cannot  be  otherwise  than  of  good  import.  It  is  unfair  to 
weigh  ordinary  spiritual  experience  against  that  of  larger  natures 
— of  Fenelon  or  of  Pascal,  of  Wesley  or  of  Channing.  The  real 
question  is,  Have  we  here  a  man  who  has  resolved  to  walk 
uprightly  in  this  world  for  the  rest  of  his  days?  If  so,  then 
society  gains  a  good  man  in  the  place  of  a  bad  one,  or  one  who 
might  at  any  moment  have  become  bad  ;  a  good  citizen  instead 
of  a  possible  felon ;  a  faithful  mechanic  or  tradesman  instead  of 
a  cheat ;  an  honest  merchant  instead  of  a  fraudulent  bankrupt  • 
a  devoted  instead  of  a  neglectful  parent;  a  good  Samaritan 
instead  of  a  liver  for  self  alone.  These  surely  are  acquisitions 
which  even  the  world  need  not  despise. 

"  Apart  from  the  more  solemn  profession  of  the  religious  con- 
vert, is  his  promise  that  he  will  be  honest  and  kindly;  that  he 
will  neither  lie  nor  cheat  nor  steal  ;  that  whatsoever  of  good  his 
hands  may  find  to  do,  he  will  do  it ;  that  he  will  refrain  from  the 
vices  which  degrade  and  impoverish  and  kill ;  that  he  will  no 
longer  be  selfish  and  ungenerous,  and  that  his  works  shall  prove 
the  vitality  of  his  faith.  There  has  been  so  much  loose  talk 
lately  about  religion  and  churches  and  preachers,  that  we  are  in 
danger  of  forgetting  that  all  our  lives  we  have  been  surrounded 
by  thousands  of  excellent  men  and  women  made  gentlemen  and 
ladies  by  grace,  full-hearted  and  full-handed  helpers  of  the  sick, 
the  needy,  and  the  suffering,  doers  of  the  work  whenever  and 
wherever  opportunity  has  offered,  lovely  in  their  lives  and  cred- 
ible because  involuntary  witnesses  of  the  reality  of  their  faith. 
To  the  number  of  these  a  season  of  marked  religious  interest 
unquestionably  must  make  large  additions  ;  for  though  the  weak 
may  fall  away,  though  the  most  vociferous  may  grow  silent  and 
the  warmest  cold,  there  will  always  be  a  remnant  of  stronger 
natures  abiding  to  the  end." 

The  chief  purpose  of  Messrs.  Moody  and  Sankey  is  the  con- 


MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA.  609 

version  of  souls  to  Christ.  What  sort  of  men  and  women  they 
expect  their  converts  to  become,  their  preaching  and  exhortations 
abundantly  proclaim.  Let  us  now  look  in  upon  them,  the  first 
Sunday  in  Philadelphia,  Nov.  21st,  1875. 

While  the  heavens  wept  over  the  departure  of  the  evangelists 
from  naughty  Brooklyn,  the  driving  rain  could  not  dampen  the 
enthusiasm  of  thousands  who  were  anxious  to  attend  the  initial 
services  of  the  expected  revival.  From  every  part  of  the  city 
the  worshippers  came,  and  for  almost  an  hour  hurrying  streams 
of  humanity  converged  to  a  focus  at  the  old  exhibition  building. 
The  police  arrangements,  as  indeed  all  the  arrangements  for  the 
accommodation  of  visitors  and  the  maintenance  of  good  order, 
were  perfect.  By  eight  o'clock  the  grand  auditorium  was  about 
two-thirds  full,  while  the  stage  was  occupied  by  over  eight  hun- 
dred persons,  a  large  proportion  of  whom  were  ministers.  Among 
the  more  prominent  clergymen  present  were  Rev.  Richard  New- 
ton, D.D.,  of  the  Episcopal  Church ;  Rev.  R.  M.  Hatfield,  D.D., 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church ;  Rev.  W.  P.  Breed,  D.D., 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church ;  Rev.  J.  Wheaton  Smith,  D.D.,  of 
the  Baptist  Church,  the  committee  who  have  been  training  a  class 
of  three  hundred  for  services  in  the  inquiry  rooms.  Also  on  the 
stage  were  500  singers  selected  from  all  the  choirs  in  the  city,  and 
thoroughly  drilled  in  Mr.  Sankey's  songs  by  Prof.  Fischer.  In 
the  middle  and  close  to  the  front  of  the  platform  sat  the  evange- 
list, Dwight  L.  Moody,  and  the  "  sweet  singer,"  Ira  D.  Sankey, 
surrounded  by  the  gentlemen  who  were  mainly  instrumental  in 
persuading  the  revivalists  to  come  to  Philadelphia.  Messrs. 
George  H.  Stuart  and  John  Wanamaker,  who  have  had  almost 
all  the  great  work  directly  under  their  charge,  were  seated  on  the 
right  of  Rev.  Dr.  Newton,  who  presided  over  the  opening  ser- 
vices. 

At  precisely  eight  o'clock  the  doors  of  the  vast  auditorium 
were  closed,  and  the  hymn, 

"  All  hail  the  power  of  Jesus'  name," 

was  sung  with  fine  effect  by  the  choir.     Dr.  Newton  then  made  a 


6lO  MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 

fervent  prayer  for  the  success  of  the  movement  so  well  begun, 
and  asked  for  the  blessing  of  the  Holy  Spirit  on  all  workers  in 
the  cause.     The  24th  hymn, 

"  Rejoice,  and  be  glad  ! 

The  Redeemer  has  come  ! 
Go  look  on  His  cradle, 
His  cross,  and  His  tomb," 

was  next  given  out,  and  hundreds  of  voices  in  the  congregation 
soon  joined  in  to  swell  the  harmonies  of  the  great  choir  on  the 
stage.  Then  upon  the  little  platform  or  pulpit  in  front  ascended 
the  leading  spirit  of  all  this  congregation  of  worshippers,  Mr. 
Dwight  L.  Moody.  His  appearance  created  a  momentary  stir  of 
sensation  throughout  the  hall.  Mr.  Moody  is  a  short  and  some- 
what stout  man,  with  a  full,  dark  beard,  rather  small  eyes,  and  an 
active,  energetic,  but  not  nervous  habit.  His  manner  is  alert 
and  prompt,  but  not  graceful ;  his  voice  is  unmusical,  and,  indeed, 
harsh ;  his  enunciation  is  very  clear,  but  somewhat  too  rapid,  yet 
can  be  heard  and  understood  in  every  part  of  the  building.  He 
gesticulates  but  little,  and  his  motions  are  evidently  unstudied. 
His  style  of  speaking  is  entirely  conversational,  but,  though  he 
seldom  makes  any  attempt  at  rhetorical  display,  he  possesses  and 
uses  with  marvellous  effect  a  dramatic  power  which  clothes  the 
most  trite  sayings  with  the  thrilling  beauty  of  fervid  eloquence. 
But,  after  all,  the  great  secret  of  his  power  over  a  vast  assembly 
seems  to  lie  less  in  what  he  says  or  his  manner  of  saying  it  than 
in  his  personal  magnetism,  which  affects  those  who  are  too  far  off 
to  hear  almost  as  strongly  as  those  who  crowd  about  his  feet. 
Before  Mr.  Moody  spoke  the  first  word  he  glanced  quietly  about 
him  for  a  moment,  and  almost  instantly  every  whispered  tone  was 
hushed,  every  breath  bated,  and  throughout  the  congregation  of 
six  or  eight  thousand  persons  not  a  sound  disturbed  the  strange 
stillness  which  seemed  to  have  been  produced  by  some  mighty 
strength  of  will  possessed  by  the  very  unevangelical-looking  gen- 
tleman standing  on  the  platform. 

"Now,"  said  Mr.  Moody,  after  announcing  his  text,  "what  is 


MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA.  "  6ll, 

the  use  of  these  special  meetings?  I  have  been  asked  this  ques- 
tion often.  Are  there  not  churches  enough  ?  Are  there  not  min- 
isters enough,  and  services  enough,  and  sermons  enough?  Yes, 
if  sermons  could  save  sinners,  there  have  been  enough  preached 
to  convert  the  whole  of  Christendom.  We  have  only  come  to 
help  you.  In  time  of  harvest  extra  help  is  always  needed,  and, 
my  friends,  the  harvest  is  here  now." 

He  closed  an  earnest  sermon  on  work  as  follows  : 
"  While  at  Brooklyn,  one  teacher  worked  night  and  day  with 
her  class,  and  one  evening  told  me  with  heartfelt  joy  that  she  had 
twenty-seven  young  ladies  in  the  inquiry-room.  In  less  than  two 
weeks  the  whole  twenty-seven  experienced  a  change  of  heart. 
Don't  think  because  your  children  are  little  or  young  that  they 
can't  share  the  blessings  of  this  revival.  Bring  them  here,  and 
we  will  save  them.  The  power  of  Almighty  God,"  added  Mr. 
Moody,  suddenly  elevating  his  voice,  "is  in  this  hall  this  morn- 
ing. Do  you  doubt  it  ?  "  he  asked,  turning  to  the  clergy  upon  the 
stage.  "  No,"  "  No,"  "  No,"  was  answered.  "  Some  time  ago," 
continued  the  speaker,  "  a  lady  where  we  were  stopping  remained 
away  from  her  Sunday-school,  saying  that  there  were  only  five 
little  boys  in  her  class,  and  one  day  could  make  no  difference. 
Did  you  ever  stop  to  think  what  there  may  be  to  save  in  five 
little  boys  ?  In  one  little  tow-headed  boy  may  sleep  the  Refor- 
mation. In  another  may  be  a  Wesley,  a  Whitefield,  a  Bunyan. 
Little  did  Andrew  know  what  he  was  doing  when  he  brought 
Peter  to  Christ.  May  each  one  of  you  hunt  up  some  Simon 
Peter  and  bring  him  to  Christ ;  find  some  persecuting  Saul  and 
bring  him  to  Christ.  One  lady  in  London,  by  tireless  and  prayer- 
ful labor,  succeeded,  by  the  assistance  of  her  husband,  a  wealthy 
barrister  of  the  metropolis,  in  converting  one  hundred  and  fifty 
of  their  friends  and  acquaintances.  In  speaking  of  it  with  grate- 
ful joy,  she  said,  'We  did  not  work  ;  we  just  laid  ourselves  out 
for  Christ.'  That's  the  way  to  do  it.  Don't  count  your  strokes; 
just  lay  yourselves  out.  God  help  you  to  lay  yourselves  out  for 
work.  Go  ye  all  into  the  vineyard  !  Don't  wait  for  the  harvest,, 
for— hark ! " 


6l2  MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 

At  this  exclamation  a  thrill  of  indescribable  anticipation  seemed 
to  pass  through  the  breathless  assembly,  and  then,  after  a  pause, 
during  which  only  the  patter  of  the  rain-drops  on  the  roof  could 
be  heard,  the  speaker  concluded  with : 

**  Hark  !  the  voice  of  Jesus  crying, 
Who  will  go  and  work  to-day  ?  " 

The  tones  of  Mr.  Moody's  voice  had  hardly  ceased  before  the 
same  words  were  repeated  by  Mr.  Sankey's  musical  voice  in  a 
beautiful  hymn : 

'*  Harji  !  the  voice  of  Jesus  crying, 
Who  will  go  and  work  to-day? 
Fields  are  white  and  harvest  waiting, 
Who  will  bear  the  sheaves  away?" 

In  the  afternoon  the  throng  was  immense.  For  a  considerable 
time  before  the  hour  for  the  commencement  of  the  services  the 
hall  was  crowded,  and  the  number  anxious  and  clamorous  to 
obtain  admission  was  greater  than  that  within.  Thirteenth, 
Juniper,  and  Market  streets  were  filled  with  people,  and  all  the 
doors  were  guarded  by  an  efficient  police  force,  who  kept  the 
multitude  back..  Such  a  sight  has  not  been  witnessed  for  many 
a  day,  and  such  a  congregation,  largely  made  up  of  earnest 
Christian  men  and  women,  has  never  assembled  in  this  city. 
There  were,  according  to  estimates  made  by  competent  parties, 
fully  thirteen  thousand  persons  present,  and  the  calculation  does 
not  seem  to  be  at  all  out  of  the  way  when  it  is  remembered  that 
there  are  over  one  thousand  chairs  in  the  audience-room,  all  of 
which  were  occupied.  The  order  throughout  the  services  was 
unexceptionable,  and  prior  to  their  commencement  there  was  a 
stillness  that  is  rarely  observed.  There  was  neither  buzz  nor 
hum,  no  one  seem.ed  inclined  to  even  whisper,  and  while  doubt- 
less many  were  drawn  to  the  place  out  of  curiosity,  the  larger 
portion,  by  their  demeanor,  seemed  to  have  but  one  object,  that 
of  promoting  the  work  of  the  great  revivalists.  The  ladies  and 
gentlemen  of  the  choir  were  promptly  in  their  places ;  and  punc- 


MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 


613 


tual  to  time  the  evangelists,  Messrs.  IMoocly  and  Sankey,  made 
their  appearance.  The  latter  immediately  took  his  seat  at  the 
melodeon,  while  the  first-named  took  position  at  the  stand,  and 
never  throughout  the  afternoon  did  he  sit  down,  but  kept  his  eye 
Upon  the  audience  the  entire  time.  The  services  were  opened 
by  Mr.  George  H.  Stuart,  who  gave  out  a  hymn,  and  after  it  had 
been  sung  by  the  choir,  Rev.  J.  Wheaton  Smith,  D.  D.,  of  the 
Beth-Eden  Baptist  Church,  stepped  forward  and  led  in  prayer. 
Mr.  Sankey  then  gave  out  the  11 6th  hymn,  "Come,  thou  Fount 
of  every  blessing."  At  the  conclusion  of  the  singing,  Mr. 
Sankey  said :  "  We  will  now  sing,  '  Here  I  raise  my  Ebenezer.' 
The  audience  will  all  join  in  the  singing."  The  h3aTin  was  evi- 
dently popular  wuth  the  masses,  for  it  was  sung  with  a  hearty 
good-will.  Mr.  Moody  then  announced  that  he  would  read  a 
portion  of  the  first  chapter  of  Joshua,  which  was'  subsequently 
made  the  text  of  his  discourse.  Mr.  Moody  spoke  about  twenty 
minutes.  The  two  points  of  his  remarks,  upon  which  he  en- 
larged and  elaborated,  were  moral  courage  and  enthusiasm,  both 
of  which,  he  held,  were  essential  elements  for  success  in  the 
religious  w^ork.  The  address  was  stirring,  earnest  and  eftective, 
the  speaker  appearing  to  be  anxious  to  reach  the  hearts  of  his 
hearers,  and  in  this  he  was  eminently  successful,  as  more  than 
one  individual  seemed  to  be  touched  by  the  powerful  appeal 
made  to  take  up  the  cross  and  enlist  under  the  banner  of  the 
Saviour  of  mankind. 

The  hymns,  "  Hear  ye  the  Battle  Cry  ? "  "  Forward  the  Call," 
and  "  Hold  the  Fort,"  were  sung  by  Mr.  Sankey,  the  choir  join- 
ing in  the  chorus.  No  such  singing  has  been  heard  in  any  of  the 
churches,  and  the  effect  produced  was  all  that  the  revivalists 
could  have  wished. 

The  revival  movement  gives  promise  of  complete  success.  It 
is  now  the  talk  of  all  classes.  On  'Change,  in  business  circles, 
in  social  gatherings,  on  the  street-cars  and  the  trains,  and  in  the 
greeting  of  friends  in  the  street,  the  names  of  Moody  and  Sankey 
are  on  every  tongue.  The  evangelists  and  their  work  are  liter- 
ally the  town  talk.     "  Have  you  been  to  hear  Moody? "     "  San- 


6 14  MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN.  AMERICA. 

key's  singing  is  better  than  a  sermon ; "  "  Did  you  hear  the 
'  Ninety  and  Nine  ? '  "  "  Wasn't  that  hymn,  '  Nothing  but  Leaves,' 
impressive?"  "Its  Moody's  earnestness  that  tells;"  "What  a 
team  they  are ! " — these  are  a  few  of  the  thousand-and-one  ex- 
pressions you  hear  every  day.  There  are  plenty  of  sharp  criti- 
cisms on  the  methods  of  the  revivalists,  and  doubts  enough  are 
expressed  as  to  the  permanency  of  their  work ;  but  no  one 
denies  that  they  possess  real  power,  unique  in  kind  and  degree, 
and  wonderfully  effective  in  awakening  a  new  interest  in  the  old 
doctrines  of  religion.  A  common  complaint  among  the  thought- 
ful people  is  that  Mr.  Moody's  sermons  have  no  direct  applica- 
tion to  the  relations  and  duties  of  everyday  life — that  they  do 
not  aim  to  make  men  less  selfish  and  cold-hearted  and  more 
charitable,  genial,  generous,  and  kind — that  their  sole  purpose 
is  to  induce  people  to  accept  a  certain  form  of  faith,  and  to 
lead  devoutly  religious  rather  than  moral  lives.  It  should  be 
remembered  by  those  who  make  this  criticism,  that  the  great 
preacher  is  a  firm  believer  in  the  immediate  second  coming  of 
Christ.  He  is  looking  for  the  end  of  the  world  and  the  appear- 
ance of  the  Saviour  every  day  and  hour.  No  wonder,  then,  that 
he  does  not  think  it  worth  while  to  talk  about  business  and  social 
morality.  He  is  perfectly  consistent.  Why  should  he  try  to  tell 
people  how  to  live,  when  the  important  thing  is  to  prepare  them 
for  death  and  the  last  judgment  ?  Why  trouble  himself  about  the 
affairs  of  the  household,  the  street,  and  the  mart,  when  he  ex- 
pects every  moment  to  see  the  world  rolled  up  like  a  scroll  ? 

With  few  exceptions  the  clergy  of  the  city  are  taking  a  hearty 
interest  in  the  revival.  Probably  the  Methodists  are  more  active 
in  assisting  it  than  the  other  sects ;  but  Presbyterians,  Episco- 
palians, Baptists,  Lutherans,  and,  in  short,  ministers  of  all  the 
Protestant  denominations,  attend  the  meetings  in  the  Depot 
Church,  and  participate  in  the  morning  assemblies  for  prayer. 
The  general  feeling  among  the  clergy  is  one  of  gratified  disap- 
pointment at  the  character  of  Moody  and  Sankey's  effort.  They 
had  expected  to  hear  something  much  more  sensational — they 
feared,  indeed,  that  it  would  be  objectionably  sensational — and 


MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA.  615. 

they  are  delighted  to  find  that  Mr.  Moody  preaches  only  the 
soundest  doctrine,  and  makes  use  of  none  of  the  theatrical 
devices  of  oratory  employed  by  many  professional  revivalists. 
His  earnest,  direct,  and  humble  appeals,  his  apt  and  familiar  illus- 
trations, and  his  way  of  preaching  on  a  level  with  the  hearts  and 
heads  of  his  hearers,  is  like  a  new  revelation  of  the  possibilities 
of  pulpit  oratory  to  many  clergymen,  whose  well-turned  periods 
and  fine  theological  points  have  proved  powerless  to  stimulate 
the  faith  of  their  congregations. 

A  Presbyterian  minister,  speaking  to  a  friend  after  the  meeting 
was  over  last  night,  said :  ''  Moody's  verbs  don't  always  agree 
with  his  nouns,  but  I  imagine  that  Peter  the  fisherman  didn't  talk 
very  good  grammar  either.  Moody's  language,  if  not  always 
elegant,  never  fails  to  convey  the  exact  idea  that  he  wants  it  to. 
Nobody  can  get  a  wrong  or  a  doubtful  meaning  from  it." 

"  I  have  been  trying  to  get  at  the  secret  of  his  power,"  said  a 
Baptist,  "and  I  think  it  lies,  first,  in  his  own  profound  convic- 
tion, and  second,  in  his  constant  repetition  of  the  same  idea,  with 
just  variation  enough  to  keep  it  monotonous.  '  By  tireless  re- 
iteration he  wears  the  truth  of  the  Gospel  into  the  stoniest  heart. 
Faith  in  Christ  is  his  simple  and  never-ending  theme.  Most 
ministers  scatter  too  much.  They  seek  to  interest  people's  heads 
by  a  variety  of  topics.  Mr.  Moody  hammers  away  at  the  heart 
with  sublime  persistence." 

Just  after  the  prayer-meeting  this  morning  a  Methodist  min- 
ister, talking  to  a  knot  of  brother  clergymen,  praised  the  revi- 
valists warmly.  "  I  declare  it  gives  me  new  courage,"  he  said, 
"  to  see  people  flocking  to  hear  the  Gospel  in  crowds  larger  than 
went  to  Barnum's  Hippodrome  last  summer.  Since  the  war  it 
has  often  seemed  to  me  that  faith  was  dying  out  in  the  hearts  of 
men.  Any  kind  of  a  show  or  parade  would  draw  a  crowd,  while 
we  talked  about  the  soul's  salvation  and  eternal  life  to  half-filled 
churches.  I  believe  we  are  going  to  see  a  great  awakening  in 
this  country.  Moody  and  Sankey  are  the  Lord's  instruments  to 
begin  the  work.  We  have  had  hundreds  of  better  preachers 
than  Mr.  Moody,  but  they  made  no  impression  on  the  masses. 


.6 1 6  MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 

Why  do  thousands  rush  to  hear  him  ?  Because  the  Spirit  of  God 
is  moving  the  hearts  of  men,  and  he  has  been  chosen  to  lead  a 
great  movement  for  the  salvation  of  souls." 

It  would  seem  that  the  hold  obtained  by  the  evangelists  on 
the  unconverted  masses  is  greater  in  Philadelphia  than  in  Brook- 
lyn. The  attendance  from  this  class  is  larger,  and  the  impres- 
sion produced  in  those  who  attend  seems  deep  and  influential. 
Mr,  Moody  pronounced  the  gatherings  of  the  second  Sunday 
more  successful,  in  view  of  the  attendance  of  the  unconverted 
so  early  in  the  series  of  meetings,  than  at  any  other  place  in  this 
country  or  in  England.  The  week  following  showed  an  increase 
rather  than  a  diminution  of  interest,  and  the  third  week  opens 
more  auspiciously  than  either  which  it  follows. 

The  meetings  of  Sunday  last  were  remarkably  effective.  The 
day  was  cold  and  wet;  just  such  a  day  as  would  ordinarily  give 
smallest  attendance  at  religious  meetings ;  such  a  day  as  would 
suggest  to  many  a  faint-hearted  country  superintendent  the 
thought  that  it  was  about  time  to  close  the  Sunday-school  for  the 
winter.  But  at  eight  o'clock  on  that  dreary  morning  the  Depot 
Church  showed  a  gathering  of  some  six  thousand  Christian  work- 
ers ;  enough  it  would  seem  to  cheer  the  heart  of  any  doubting 
Elijah  as  to  the  faith  and  zeal  of  very  many  amid  all  the  coldness 
and  unbelief  in  this  great  city.  When,  at  the  close  of  his  ap- 
peal to  these  workers  to  be  "  a  peculiar  people,  zealous  of  good 
works,"  in  their  service  in  God's  vineyard,  Mr.  Moody  asked 
those  who  during  the  coming  week  would  endeavor  to  lead  at 
least  one  soul  to  the  Saviour  to  rise  to  their  feet,  nearly  one-half 
of  all  present  rose  in  indication  of  this  purpose. 

At  the  Sunday-afternoon  meeting  for  women,  at  least  ten 
thousand  were  present.  As  nearly  five  thousand  tickets  of  ad- 
mission had  been  given  to  women  who  expressed  a  desire  to  find 
salvation,  while  many  other  tickets  were  distributed  without  ques- 
tion, Mr.  Moody  thought  there  were  more  than  seven  thousand 
unconverted  persons  in  the  audience ;  certainly  a  hopeful  gather- 
ing at  such  a  time  and  place.  The  appeal  of  the  preacher  was 
most  earnest.     As  he  told  of  the  love  of  the  Saviour  for  the  lost, 


MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA.  6t7 

and  of  the  full  salvation  offered  freely  to  all,  all  hearts  seemed 
to  throb  as  one  in  gratitude  to  such  a  Saviour  for  such  a  salva- 
tion. When  he  asked  those  who  desired  an  interest  in  this 
salvation  to  rise  and  stand  during  his  prayer,  hundreds  rose  to 
their  feet,  and  afterward  repaired  to  the  inquiry-rooms  for  per- 
sonal converse  and  counsel.  It  can  hardly  be  doubted  that  that 
evening  hour  was  the  birth-hour  of  many  precious  souls,  then 
brought  by  God's  Spirit  into  the  life  of  Christian  love  and  trust. 
At  the  evening  meeting,  which  was  for  men,  while  the  attendance 
was  not  quite  as  large  as  in  the  afternoon,  there  was  great  se- 
riousness, and  many  rose  for  prayers  and  remained  at  the  inquiry- 
meeting. 

For  one  whole  week  Mr.  Moody  labored,  not  for  the  salvation 
of  sinners,  but  for  the  regeneration  of  professed  Christians.  At 
every  service  hundreds  of  long-acknowledged  church  members 
listened  with  bowed  heads  and  tearful  eyes  to  the  fervent  exhorta- 
tions of  the  evangelist,  who,  casting  aside  all  preconceived  notions 
of  church  work,  and  preaching  only  love  to  God  and  devotion  to 
the  Saviour,  brought  to  their  awakening  souls  a  vision  of  the  bless- 
ings of  true  holiness  more  beautiful  than  even  in  their  most  un- 
selfish moods  they  had  ever  before  conceived.  He  did  not 
preach,  "  Repent  in  order  to  avoid  the  wrath  of  an  angry  God," 
and  thus  wring  an  ephemeral  obeisance  from  weak  knees  but 
cold  hearts ;  he  preached  Christ  crucified ;  drew  for  his  hearers 
convincing  illustrations  of  the  perfect  love  of  the  Father,  and 
urged  them,  with  tears  in  his  eyes,  not  to  kneel  from  a  sense  of 
duty,  but  to  cast  themselves  at  the  feet  of  the  Saviour,  and,  with 
a  heart  overflowing  with  love,  there  seek  to  learn  how  to  win 
others  to  the  straight  and  narrow,  but  pleasant  path  of  joy  and 
peace. 

Rev.  Dr.  Breed  said  there  was  a  wonderful  power  in  self-con- 
secration ;  the  ungodly  man  had  at  all  times  a  traitor  in  the  cita- 
del of  his  wickedness — a  conscience  which  would  compel  him  to 
yield  when  assaulted  by  a  truly  consecrated  heart.  He  once 
heard  of  a  young  man  who  had  been  notoriously  bad,  but  had 
suddenly   been    converted,    and   was    moved   by   the    Spirit   to 


.6 1 8  MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 

go  and  pray  with  every  one  in  the  village.  He  started,  and 
knocking  at  every  door,  was,  in  spite  of  his  past  reputation,  ad- 
mitted and  permitted  to  pray.  The  man  truly  consecrated  to 
God  could  always  have  the  entree  into  any  house  or  by  the  Holy 
Spirit  into  every  heart. 

Mr.  Sankey  said  :  "Will  you  please  turn  to  the  90th  hymn.  In 
that  we  will  find  a  verse  which  should  give  us  great  comfort  if  we 
do  what  that  verse  says.  But  before  we  begin,  I  wish  to  bear 
testimony  to  the  fact  that  we  can  do  no  good  without  a  broken 
and  a  contrite  heart.  Shortly  after  the  Chicago  fire,  seven  men, 
finding  that  their  labors  were  apparently  fruitless,  determined  to 
seek  counsel  of  God,  and  assembled  one  afternoon  in  a  gentle- 
man's ofiice,  and  there  humbled  themselves  before  their  Maker. 
I  saw  these  men  lying  on  their  faces  on  the  floor,  praying  to  be 
emptied  of  self  and  filled  with  the  Holy  Spirit.  These  seven 
men  have  since  been  greatly  blessed  and  greatly  honored  by  God 
in  their  labors.  Two  are  in  the  West,  one  in  Europe,  and  two  in 
this  city.     Now  let  us  sing." 

Mr.  Moody,  at  the  conclusion  of  the  singing,  said :  "  Send 
thanksgiving,  but  praise  to  God  is  better.  What  we  want  to  do 
to-night  is  to  praise  God  for  all  his  mercies,  for  all  that  we  enjoy, 
and  for  all  the  glorious  promises  of  an  immortality.  There  is  a 
great  deal  said  at  our  meetings  about  prayer,  but  nothing  about 
praise.  In  the  Bible  there  are  more  passages  referring  to  praise 
than  to  prayer.  We  want  Christ,  and  if  we  are  heard  to  praise 
him,  then  will  we  be  able  to  get  to  him.  What  we  want  to-day  is 
a  praising  Church.  We  can  be  praising  God  every  day,  even  when 
in  sorrow.  If  we  go  through  the  world  all  the  time  with  a  long 
face,  we  will  drive  men.  away  from  Christ.  There  are  so  many 
people  always  borrowing  trouble  and  looking  on  the  dark  side  of 
the  picture  instead  of  praising  God,  that  they  are  only  in  the  way 
of  men  coming  to  Jesus.  A  man  once  severely  cut  his  hand,  and 
said,  'Praise  God,'  and,"  said  Mr.  Moody,  "I  thought  that  it  was 
a  strange  thing  to  praise  God  for.  On  asking  the  man  why  he 
praised  God,  he  said  he  did  it  because  his  hand  was  not  cut  off. 
You  can  see,  then,  that  in  the  midst  of  affliction  one  can  praise 


MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA.  GlCf, 

the  Lord  because  it  might  have  been  worse.  What  we  want  is 
more  sunny  Christian  men,  who  always  have  happy  countenances  ; 
they  go  far  toward  making  rehgion  attractive  and  drawing  sinners 
to  a  knowledge  of  their  condition  and  the  necessity  of  seeking 
the  Lord.  If  men  praise  God  and  are  happy  in  the  Church,  the 
fire  will  be  caught  by  others  and  spread  until  the  whole  Church 
becomes  alive,  and  all  are  happy  in  the  knowledge  that  Jesus  is 
their  Master.  If  there  are  any  who  should  be  happy,  it  is  those 
who  are  sincere  Christians,  those  who  have  come  to  Christ.  The 
first  thing  a  young  convert  always  does  is  to  pray,  and  when,  in 
praising  God,  he  sings, 

"  '  O  happy  day  ! ' 

how  happy  he  is  !  If  the  ten  thousand  persons  present  could  be 
induced  to  take  Christ  as  their  only  friend  and  sing  praises  to 
him,  there  would  be  such  a  shout  as  to  almost  raise  the  roof. 
We  want  to  see  the  time  when  the  streets  are  filled  with  people 
filling  the  air  with  songs  of  praise  to  Zion.  When  that  time  comes 
the  people  will  be  happy,  because  they  have  found  Christ.  When 
we  stray  away  from  God,  we  don't  want  to  pray ;  but  when  we 
return  to  God,  then  we  want  to  sing  his  praises.  What  we  want 
to-day  is  a  Church  of  workers,  and  when  we  have  that  we  will 
have  a  praising  Church.  When  a  man  gets  out  of  himself,  be- 
comes unselfish,  and  commences  to  work  for  others,  he  becomes 
a  happy  man,  because  he  is  doing  God's  service.  If  you  want  to 
praise  God,  go  and  do  some  work,  lift  up  somebody,  relieve  the 
sick  and  comfort  the  heart-broken.  By  so  doing  it  will  be  the 
best  praise  that  we  can  give  to  God."  The  speaker  said  that 
some  years  ago  he  met  a  man  who  told  him  that  he  was  going  to 
take  his  family  of  five  children  to  church  with  a  smile.  The  man 
said  to  him,  whenever  he  passed  a  house  on  a  certain  street  he 
always  looked  at  the  windows  where  he  saw  children,  and  he 
always  smiled  upon  them.  Said  the  speaker:  "Kindness  to 
children  is  never  forgotten  ;  it  is  the  way  to  reach^their  hearts  and 
gain  their  affection."  The  children  became  so  fond  of  seeing 
the  man  that  they  v/atched  for  him,  and  finally  they  said  he  was 


620  MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 

SO  good  and  kind,  that  he  must  be  a  minister.  They  resolved 
one  Sunday  after  he  passed  to  follow  him,  and  they  did  so ;  when 
they  found  that  he  entered  a  church,  they  also  went  in,  and  after 
service  returned  home  and  said  that  they  heard  the  best  sermon 
of  their  lives.  They  went  again,  and  finally  joined  the  church. 
The  man  said  that  he  got  them  in  with  a  smile.  A  crabbed  and 
cross  Christian  never  accomplishes  any  good ;  they  are  stumbling- 
blocks  in  the  way  of  others,  and  prevent  the  building  up  of  the 
Christian  Church.  Oh  that  we  may  have  live  churches  !  What 
we  want  to  do  is  to  get  rid  of  these  dead  churches,  with  their 
cold  forms  and  ceremonies,  and  have  them  filled  with  live,  happy 
people.  The  speaker  continued  in  this  strain  for  some  time,  and 
urged  his  hearers  to  come  to  Christ  and  be  happy.  When  they 
did  so  they  would  continually  praise  Him  for  His  goodness. 

Mr.  Moody  then  gave  out  the  25th  hymn,  which  was  sung  by 
the  choir  and  the  entire  congregation,  led  by  Mr.  Sankey.  The 
people  seemed  to  be  deeply  impressed  with  it,  and  such  whole- 
souled  singing  by  more  than  eleven  thousand  persons  has  never 
been  heard  before  in  this  city.     It  is  in  these  words : 

We  praise  Thee,  O  God  !  for  the  Son  of  Thy  love, 
For  Jesus  who  died  and  is  now  gone  above. 

C/iorus— Halleluiah  !  Thine  the  glory,  Hallelujah  !.  Amen. 
Hallelujah  !  Thine  the  glory,  revive  us  again. 

We  praise  Thee,  O  God  !  for  Thy  spirit  of  light, 

Who  has  shown  us  our  Saviour  and  scattered  our  night. 

All  glory  and  praise  to  the  Lamb  that  was  slain. 
Who  has  borne  all  our  sins  and  cleansed  every  stain. 

All  glory  and  praise  to  the  God  of  all  grace. 

Who  has  bought  us,  and  sought  us,  and  guided  our  ways. 

Revive  us  again  :  fill  each  heart  with  Thy  love  ; 
May  each  soul  be  rekindled  with  fire  from  above. 

Mr..  Sankey  next  rose  from  his  cabinet  organ,  behind  which  he 
had  remained  s«ated  during  the  service,  and  said:  "How  many 
prodigal  sons  may  be  restored  to  their  homes  to-day !     The  re- 


MOODY.  AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA.  62 1 

currence  of  Thanksgiving  recalls  to  my  mind  a  story  told  me  by 
a  very  dear  friend  in  Europe  of  a  prodigal  son  who  was  saved  by 
love.  A  wayward  boy  who  could  not  be  persuaded  to  do  good, 
whose  steps  were  only  evil  continually,  was  finally,  at  the  request 
of  his  brothers,  sent  into  the  street.  He  went  away,  but  on 
Thanksgiving  day  poor  John,  homesick  and  heartsick,  returned. 
His  father  saw  the  poor  wanderer  at  the  door,  and  received  him 
back  to  his  arms.  Then  his  brothers  again  demanded  that  the 
black  sheep  should  again  be  cast  out,  but  the  father  answered, 
*  No,  no,  my  son  John,  I'll  not  cast  thee  out ;  come,  gather  around 
our  board  to-day.'  This  overwhelming  love  was  too  much.  The 
long-lost  prodigal  wept,  the  family  knelt  with  him  and  prayed  for 
him,  and  to-day  that  boy  is  one  of  the  hardest  workers  for  Christ 
to  be  found  in  all  Europe.  A  father's  love  saved  him !  Let  us 
remember  that.  Our  friends  may  cast  us  off,  but  our  Heavenly 
Father  will  receive  us  if  we  only  knock  at  the  door.  I  will  now 
sing  you  the  hymn  '  Ninety  and  Nine.' "  Mr.  Sankey  here  took 
his  seat,  and  in  a  sweet  voice  sang  with  touching  expression  the 
words  : 

*'  There  were  ninety  and  nine  that  safely  lay 

In  the  shelter  of  the  fold  ; 
But  one  was  out  on  the  hills  away, 

Far  off  from  the  gates  of  gold. 
Away  on  the  mountains  wild  and  bare, 

Away  from  the  tender  Shepherd's  care  ; 
Lord,  Thou  hast  here  Thy  ninety  and  nine, 

Are  they  not  enough  for  Thee  ? 
But  the  Shepherd  made  answer,  Tis  of  mine 

Has  wandered  far  away  from  me  ; 
And  although  the  road  be  rough  and  steep, 

I  go  to  the  desert  to  find  my  sheep." 

Never^was  our  National  Thanksgiving  more  perfectly  symbol- 
ized than  in  the  scene  which  yesterday  morning  gladdened  the 
eyes  of  the  Evangelists  as  they  entered  the  old  Exhibition  build- 
ing at  Thirteenth  and  Market  streets  to  begin  their  early  prayer- 
meeting.     The  seemingly  limitless  auditorium,  decorated  as  it  is 


,62  2  MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 

in  our  national  colors,  with  wide,  beautiful  expanses  of  pure  white 
between  the  relieving  tints,  was  almost  filled  with  eager  worship- 
pers, whose  very  glances  beamed  with  praise  and  thanksgiving, 
while,  with  many  a  benison  and  on  silvery  pinions,  the  light  of 
opening  day,  descending  earthward,  poured  in  a  flood  of  welcome 
through  the  glass-covered  roof  and  rested  on  the  picture  like  a 
dove  of  peace. 

Large  as  the  building  is  and  ample  as  the  accommodations  are, 
last  evening  every  seat  was  occupied,  and  around  the  walls  men 
were  standing.  Such  a  gathering  of  males  in  this  city  has  never 
before  been  seen,  and  it  is  a  question  whether  in  this  country  for 
such  a  purpose  there  has  ever  been  such  an  assemblage.  The 
order  was  perfect,  not  the  slightest  confusion  or  noise  was  obser- 
vable, but  all  seemed  deeply  oppressed  with  the  solemnity  of  the 
occasion.  The  stillness  was  remarkable,  and  throughout  the 
entire  evening  a  whisper,  if  made,  might  have  been  heard. 
While  doubtless  many  were  drawn  to  the  place  by  curiosity,  it 
was  also  true  that  many  more  were  there  with  an  honest  purpose 
and  with  honest  convictions.  It  has  happened  more  than  once 
that  men  who  had  no  idea  of  conversion  have  been  brought  under 
the  influence  of  the  great  revivalists,  and  such  most  likely  was 
the  case  last  night,  when  some  two  hundred  sturdy  men  fearlessly 
stood  up  in  that  mighty  assemblage  and  acknowledged  themselves 
sinners,  and  as  being  desirous  of  leading  better  lives.  The  occasion 
was  one  long  to  be  remembered,  and  could  not  but  make  a  deep 
and  lasting  impression  upon  very  many  who  stood  back.  The 
preaching  of  Mr.  Moody  is  irresistible  in  its  effects  ;  so  plainly  is 
the  teaching  of  the  Saviour  made,  and  so  convincing  is  his  argu- 
ment in  behalf  of  the  religion  of  Christ  and  the  great  necessity 
of  turning  away  from  the  paths  of  vice,  that  before  a  person  is 
aware  of  it,  he  is  unconsciously  forced  to  make  a  public  confes- 
sion of  his  sinfulness  and  his  desire  to  lead  the  life  of  a  Christian. 
Greater  interest  could  not  have  been  manifested  than  was  last 
evening,  and  a  more  resiDectful  hearing  could  not  have  been 
accorded  to  any  preacher. 

"  Go,"  said  he ;  '•  go  to  some  hovel  where  a  drunkard  reels  to 


MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA.  623 

every  day.  See  the  children  run  away  and  hide  in  terror  when 
the  besotted  father  staggers  up  the  hill;  see  the  pale,  haggard- 
faced  wife  tremble ;  she  bears  many  a  scar  made  by  that  strong 
right  arm  on  that  defenceless  body.  Such  a  man  may  be  here  to- 
day. He  may  repent  at  last  and  secure  the  Lord  Jesus.  Then, 
in  a  little  while,  see  what  a  change !  The  little  children  will 
climb  on  his  knee  and  clasp  their  loving  arms  about  his  neck; 
the  wife  will  wear  a  happy  smile,  and  instead  of  the  drunken 
song,  you  will  hear : 

"  '  There  is  a  fountain  filled  with  blood.' 

or  perhaps  he  will  remember  a  hymn  his  sainted  mother  taught 
him,  and  on  the  evening  air  will  come  the  words  : 

"  *  Rock  of  Ages,  cleft  for  me, 
Let  me  hide  myself  in  Thee.' 

"That  is  what  I  call  regeneration.  May  the  spirit  of  prayer 
come  on  this  assembly  this  afternoon.  You  may  see  many  king- 
doms, but  except  you  be  born  again  you  will  never  see  the  King- 
dom of  God.  You  may  travel  through  your  own  country,  and  in 
California  stand  in  awe  before  the  great  trees  at  which  so  many 
have  wondered,  but  except  you  be  born  again  3^ou  can  never  see 
the  tree  of  life  which  stands  in  the  paradise  of  God.  You  may 
stand  on  the  banks  of  many  mighty  rivers,  but  except  you  be 
born  again  you  never  can  see  the  river  that  bursts  from  the 
Throne  of  God  and  runs  through  His  Kingdom.  You  may  look 
with  pleasure  upon  the  jewelled  crowns  of  the  earth,  but  unless 
you  be  born  again  you  cannot  see  the  Crown  of  Life.  You  may 
meet  with  princes  in  this  world,  but  except  you  be  born  again 
you  cannot  meet  the  Prince  of  Peace.  A  few  years  ago  I  met 
with  a  man  who  seemed  happy  and  yet  very,  very  lonesome. 
*  Have  you  no  children  ? '  I  asked.  '  Yes,'  was  the  reply,  '  I 
have  one — in  heaven.'  He  then  showed  me  the  picture  of  a 
beautiful  child,  about  seven  years  of  age,  and  said,  '  I  am  glad 
she  is  in  heaven,  for  while  she  lived  I  worshipped  her,  and  when 
she  was  taken  from  me  I  almost  cursed  my  Maker,  for  I  was  a 


624  MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 

cursing  man.  And  when.  I  was  still  in  this  terrible  mood  I 
threw  myself  on  the  bed  and  at  last  I  slept,  and  dreamed,  I  sup- 
pose, though  it  may  have  been  a  vision.  I  thought  I  was  travel- 
ing along  a  desert  waste,  and  at  length  came  to  a  dark,  fathomless 
river.  I  thought  I  heard  the  voice  of  my  darling  calling, 
"  Father,  come  over  ;  its  beautiful  over  here."  Then  I  saw  my 
precious  one  amid  a  choir  of  heavenly  beings,  and  she  kept  on 
beckoning  to  me  until  I  attempted  to  cross,  but  found  I  could 
not  ford  the  stream.  While  I  was  looking  for  some  way  to  get 
over,  I  heard  a  voice  from  heaven  saying,  "  I  am  the  Way,  the 
Truth,  and  the  Life."  I  awoke  a  changed  man,  and  now  only 
live  to  meet  her  in  that  heavenly  sphere  where  death  can  never 
again  come.  If  my  little  one  had  lived  I  might  have  led  her 
astray,  but  she  is  safe  now,  and  I  believe  that  a  kind  Father  will 
let  me  follow  her.'  Oh  !  how  many  of  you,"  said  Mr.  Moody  in 
conclusion,  "  have  little  ones  beckoning  to  you  from  the  other 
side  of  the  river  of  death  ?  Have  you  children,  husbands,  wives, 
brothers,  sisters,  godly  fathers,  or  sainted  mothers  in  the  land  to 
come  ?  Only  go  to  God,  be  born  again,  and  meet  them  in  the 
Kingdom  of  God."  At  the  conclusion  of  the  sermon,  Mr.  Moody 
called  upon  those  who  desired  to  be  prayed  for  to  stand  up,  and 
fully  two  thousand  rose  to  their  feet,  and  stood  with  bowed  heads 
and  glistening  eyes  v/hile  the  leader  offered  up  a  fervent  suppli- 
cation in  their  behalf. 

Charles  M.  Morton,  of  Plymouth  Bethel,  Brooklyn,  then  made 
a  brief  address,  relating  an  incident  of  the  recent  meetings  in 
Brooklyn,  the  reclamation  of  a  man  whose  home  had  been  broken 
up  by  intemperance.  When  the  man  had  been  converted  he 
came  to  the  speaker  one  day  and  said,  "  I  have  got  back  my 
home,  my  friends,  my  wife  and  my  children,  but  something  that 
my  little  girl  said  last  night  made  me  cry.  She  ran  up  to  me, 
and,  throwing  her  arms  around  me,  said,  '  Papa,  you  don't  stag- 
ger any  more  now.' "  Now  it  is  just  so  with  Christians  when 
they  get  the  Word  of  God  in  the  heart;  they  don't  stagger  any 
more. 

Hon.  S.  Farwell,  of  Chicago,  spoke  of  some  special  meetings 


MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA.  625 

now  being  held  in  Central  Illinois,  and  said  the  workers  in  his 
State  were  listening  for  the  ke3'-note  from  the  City  of  Brotherly 
Love,  and  were  anxious  for  an  interest  in  their  prayers  at  one  of 
the  meetings  in  Mason,  Illinois,  The  first  convert  was  the  leader 
of  a  company  of  actors  who  had  been  a  few  evenings  before  per- 
forming in  the  same  hall  in  which  the  meeting  was  held.  He 
was  an  intelligent,  highly  educated  man,  and  is  now  preaching 
the  Gospel.  He  says  :  "  I  have  served  the  devil  for  thirty  years. 
I  am  fifty-one  years  old  now.  All  my  time  and  talents  shall 
be  upon  the  Lord,"  and  one  of  the  first  things  he  told  the 
people  after  his  conversion  w^as  this :  ''  I  have  been  behind 
the  scenes.  You  don't  know  all  that  goes  on  there.  Take  my 
advice,  you  church  members  who  have  been  in  the  habit  of  going 
to  theatres,  and  don't  go  there  again."  That  was  pretty  good 
preaching  for  a  first  sermon.  H'e  now  goes  about  the  street  read- 
ing the  New  Testament,  as  he  used  to  read  Shakespeare,  and  he 
tells  Brother  Dean  that  every  day  he  finds  new  texts  that  he 
never  knew  were  in  the  Bible  at  all.  That  might  be  the  case 
with  all  of  us,  for  the  Spirit  will  bring  all  things  to  your  remem- 
brance whatsoever  I  have  said  unto  you. 

There  was  one  point  which  ought  to  be  mentioned  in  this  con- 
nection. It  was  a  matter  of  experience  with  him  that  very  often 
what  prevents  persons  who  are  anxious  from  finding  peace  is 
some  difficulty  in  their  business.  There  is  some  little  thing 
which  they  are  not  prepared  to  give  up.  It  was  so  with  a  young 
man  with  whom  he  was  speaking  last  night.  He  found  that  he 
was  engaged  in  the  liquor  business,  and  he  told  the  3-oung  man 
that  unless  he  was  prepared  to  give  that  up  he  would  not  have 
peace. 

Mr.  Moody  spoke  on  the  prayers  of  Jesus,  and  said  He  was 
the  example,  for  He  was  praying  all  the  night  before  He  chose 
the  twelve  Apostles  ;  and  on  every  occasion  where  there  was  a 
special  communication  to  Him  from  His  Father  in  heaven,  it  came 
in  answer  to  prayers.  What  we  need  is  more  of  the  praying 
spirit,  that  all  who  come  to  these  meetings  may  be  reached  by  the 
Spirit  of  God.     Even  those  who  are  unable  to  get  into  the  meet- 


626  MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 

ings  are  sometimes  in  that  way  led  to  a  spirit  of  reflection.  A 
man  came  to  one  of  the  services  and  found  the  door  closed,  and 
the  words  of  Scripture  rushed  upon  his  mind,  "  And  the  door 
was  shut."  He  said,  "What  if  the  door  of  Heaven  should  be 
shut  ?  "  and  was  led  to  serious  consideration,  which  resulted  in 
his  conversion.  A  lady  in  Brooklyn  had  been  praying  that  her 
son  might  attend  the  meetings.  She  had  tried  to  persuade  him, 
but  he  had  refused.  On  the  last  of  the  services  there,  the  young 
man  thought  he  would  go  to  the  Tabernacle  for  the  afternoon 
meeting.  He  found  the  gates  locked,  the  building  being  full. 
He  went  into  the  overflow  meeting,  and  heard  Mr.  Needham. 
That  afternoon  he  was  converted,  and  his  mother's  prayers  were 
answered.  There  is  nothing  for  which  we  may  not  pray.  Jesus 
prayed  at  the  grave  of  Lazarus  ;  and  we  may  bring  our  dead  sons 
and  daughters  to  Christ  that  He  may  give  them  spiritual  life. 

Rev.  Dr.  Newton  said  he  wanted  to  relate  an  incident  which 
had  been  revived  in  his  memory  by  the  observations  of  Mr. 
Moody  on  prayer.  Forty  years  ago,  said  he,  I  was  a  student 
in  a  theological  college  in  New  York,  and  was  brought  into  inti- 
macy with  a  graduate  of  West  Point  Military  Academy,  whose 
brother  was  a  fellow-student  of  mine.  The  officer  was  a  strictly 
moral  man  of  sterling  integrity,  but  not  a  Christian.  His 
brother  one  day  spoke  to  him,  and  asked  if  he  would  not  be- 
come a  Christian.  His  reply  was :  "  What  more  do  you  want 
me  to  be  than  I  am  now .'' "  and  his  manner  was  such  that  the 
brother  said  no  more,  but  determined  to  pray  for  his  conversion 
instead  of  arguing  with  him.  The  next  winter  the  officer  was 
ordered  out  West  for  frontier  service,  and  his  wife,  who  was  a 
lady  of  high  moral  character  and  great  attainments,  was,  in  con- 
sequence, temporarily  separated  from  him,  and  went  -to  live  at 
Providence,  Rhode  Island.  While  she  was  there  a  great  work  of 
grace  was  progressing  in  the  parish.  She  was  among  those  who 
were  brought  to  the  feet  of  Jesus ;  and  after  she  was  converted, 
the  minister,  at  whose  house  she  was  staying,  asked  if  she  would 
not  join  the  church.  She  said,  "  I  can't  until  I  have  written  to 
my  husband.     I  have  never  taken  a  step  that  we  could  not  take 


MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 


627 


together  since  we  were  married.  I  can't  put  a  barrier  between 
him  and  myself  until  I  have  written  to  him  and  told  him  of  the 
change  in  my  life."  She  immediately  wrote;  but  before  her 
letter  reached  him  out  on  the  frontier,  he  had  written  to  her,  and 
their  letters  crossed.  He  said  that  for  several  davs  he  had  a 
strange  feeling,  such  as  he  had  never  experienced  before.  He  felt 
that  he  v/as  unworthy  and  a  sinner,  and  that  he  needed  pardon. 
He  had  no  Bible  in  his  tent,  and  borrowed  one  from  a  comrade  ; 
then  he  read  about  the  way  of  salvation,  and  found  light.  He 
said  in  his  letter  that  he  had  become  a  Christian  ;  so  when  her 
letter  reached  him,  the  wife  was  in  possession  of  the  glad  news 
that  both  were  following  Jesus.  Who  can  tell  the  joy  there  was 
in  that  family?  Although  this  occurred  many  years  ago,  and  the 
dear  fellow  to  whom  I  refer  is  now  in  heaven,  the  impression  it 
made  upon  me  will  never  be  effaced,  and  I  tell  it  to-day  because 
it  may  lead  others  to  pray  for  the  conversion  of  those  friends  who 
do  not  now  feel  their  need  of  Christ. 

After  silent  prayer  for  a  fev/  moments,  during  which  it  seemed 
that  every  Christian  heart  was  lifted  to  God  in  earnest  supplica- 
tion— for  the  most  solemn  stillness  prevailed  through  the  house — 
the  meeting  closed  with  the  Doxology  and  benediction. 

MEETING    FOR    DRUNKARDS. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  meetings  yet  held  by  the  evangel- 
ists in  this  city  was  that  set  apart  especially  for  the  benefit  of 
drunkards  who  had  been  unable  to  conquer  the  demon  of  alco- 
holic stimulus.  The  congregation  was  much  larger  than  on  the 
preceding  day,  and,  as  would  naturally  be  expected,  very  differ- 
ent in  many  other  respects.  Several  hundreds  of  Christian 
workers,  who  have  been  regularly  attending  all  the  meetings, 
remained  away  in  order  to  leave  as  much  room  as  possible  to 
those  who.  were  directly  affected  by  the  curse  of  intemperance. 
A  glance  over  the  audience  showed  a  large  number  of  temperance 
advocates  and  missionaries,  several  clergymen,  and  a  few  regular 
Christian  workers.  Almost  all  the  other  faces  were  new.  There 
were  old  fathers  whose  white  hairs  had  almost  been  brought  in 


628  MOODY    AND   SAN  KEY    IN   AMERICA. 

sorrow  to  the  grave  by  the  wayward  steps  of  loved  and  ahnost 
lost  sons  ;  aged  mothers,  whose  doubly  refined  features  had  been 
pinched  by  suffering,  and  once  rosy,  smiling  lips  blanched  to 
whiteness  by  long-continued  effort  to  choke  back  the  sobs  which 
will  well  up  from  hearts  wrung  by  the  anguish  of  seeing  dear 
ones  sinking  into  ruin ;  there  were  pale-faced,  loving-eyed  sisters, 
vv'hose  young  lives  had  been  nothing  but  woe  instead  of  innocent, 
hopeful  joy,  and  whose  bright  smiles  had  long  given  place  to 
sighs  over  the  downward  course  of  some  willful  brother.  Here 
and  there  could  be  seen  the  bloated  faces  of  blear-eyed  drunk- 
ards, who  glanced  wildly  around  as  though  the  strangeness  of  the 
situation  was  so  overpowering  that  it  required  a  great  effort  of 
will  to  remain,  and  not  a  few  were  accompanied  by  mothers, 
wives,  sisters,  or,  perchance,  sweethearts,  who,  having  exhausted 
worldly  means,  had  determined  to  lay  their  burden  before  the 
Lord.  The  great  majority  of  all  those  gathered  in  the  Depot- 
Tabernacle  yesterday  afternoon  were  as  sad-faced  and  tearful- 
eyed  a  collection  of  humanity  as  it  would  be  possible  to  assemble 
in  one  place.  Those  who  had  not  directly  suffered  by  intem- 
perance grev/  at  once  into  sympathy  with  the  hundreds  about 
them,  whose  heavy  sighs  told  the  stories  of  unutterable  anguish, 
and  this  influence  increased  until  a  cloud  of  terrible  depression 
seemed  to  hang  over  the  entire  congregation.  Every  class  of 
society  was  represented  in  thi^  throng  united  so  closely  by  such 
painful  bonds.  Close  to  the  half-starved,  long-abused,  yet  faith- 
ful wife  of  some  besotted  brute  was  seated  the  child  of  fortune 
and  culture — child  no  more,  but  an  old,  old  woman,  whose  only 
son,  still  in  his  youth,  had  fallen  almost  to  the  lowest  depths  of 
degradation.  Near  her  was  a  man,  every  lineament  of  whose 
features  was  some  index  of  nobility  of  soul  and  rare  talents,  but 
whose  threadbare  coat  and  sunken  cheeks  betrayed  to  all  gazes 
the  lifelong  victim  of  an  unconquerable  appetite.  Jcist  behind 
this  group  was  a  young  girl,  whose  face,  sweet  as  an  angel'-s,  was 
already  furrowed  by  grief  Beside  her  was  a  father,  whom  she 
seemed  to  worship,  and  this  father,  broken  down  in  health  and 
almost  ruined  in  mind  by  the  excessive  use  of  liquor,  seemed  at 


MOODY   AND   SANKEY    IN    AMERICA.  6291 

last  to  have  resigned  himself  to  hopeless  ruin.  He  gazed  about 
in  a  half-sleepy,  half-childish  way,  and  several  times  attempted  to 
get  up  and  leave  his  seat,  but  the  hand  of  the  child-woman  held 
his  very  tightly,  and  each  time  he  would  conquer  his  restlessness 
and  sit  down.  By  far  the  largest  proportion  of  the  congregation 
were  women,  almost  all  of  whom  had  evidently  clutching  at  their 
hearts  the  agonizing  image  of  some  past  or  present  experience 
with  woe  in  its  most  terrible  form.  As  the  exercises  proceeded 
it  was  interesting  to  note  the  change  which  gradually  came  over 
the  scene.  As  Mr.  Moody  declared  over  and  over  again  that  the 
God  who  had  once  cast  out  devils  could  do  it  now,  and  would  do 
it  if  only  asked,  and  as  fervent  supplications  for  this  Divine  inter- 
position were  made,  the  cloud  seemed  to  rise  from  all  hearts,  the 
noonday  sun  poured  in  upon  the  picture  like  blessed  rays  of 
hope;  eyes  long  dimmed  by  tears  beamed  with  a  new  light;  lips 
so  long  tightly  pressed  by  anguish  smiled  with  a  new-found  joy, 
and  dissipated  faces  lost  their  reckless  look  and  became  resolute 
in  the  strength  of  noble  determination.  It  is  probable  that  more 
than  one  slave  was  freed,  and  more  than  one  heart  made  happy. 

Rev.  Dr.  Neu'ton  read  the  requests  for  prayer.  He  said  that 
as  the  day  was  set  apart  particularly  for  prayers  for  the  intem- 
jDerate  only,  only  those  which  related  to  persons  held  by  the 
demon  of  drink  would  be  read.  Among  the  requests  were  twenty 
for  prayers  for  intemperate  husbands  ;  ten  for  drunken  fathers  ; 
tv/enty-five  from  sisters  for  dissipated  brothers ;  ten  from  widows 
for  intemperate  sons  ;  one  for  a  young  man  struggling  to  over- 
come the  demon  of  drink ;  one  from  a  sister  for  three  brothers, 
one  of  them  a  hard  drinker;  one  from  a  mother  in  Scottsville 
for  an  intemperate  son  ;  from  a  friend  for  a  young  man  in  New- 
castle, England  ;  from  a  friend  for  a  young  man  who  earnestly 
desires  to  reform  ;  from  a  sister  (long  identified  with  Methodist 
missions)  for  an  intemperate  brother;  from  a  Christian  for  an 
intemperate  brother-in-law  in  Richmond,  Va. ;  from  a  mother, 
whose  only  son  was  rapidly  hastening  to  ruin  ;  from  a  wife  whose 
husband  has  almost  beggared  his  family,  and  from  friends  for 
the  Woman's  Temperance  Society  of  Plymouth  Church.     There 


630  MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 

were  forty  requests  for  prayers  for  tavern-keepers'  souls,  that  they 
might  be  turned  from  the  road  in  which  they  were  leading  so 
many  of  their  fellows  ;  two  requests  for  intemperate  and  ungodly 
men  ;  one  against  the  sale  of  liquor  on  the  Centennial  Grounds ; 
one  from  a  wife  for  a  husband;  one  from  a  father  whose  son, 
once  a  professor  of  religion,  was  now  hurrying  on  to  destruction  ; 
one  from  a  mother  who  desired  prayers  for  a  drunken  husband 
and  son  ;  one  from  a  Christian  lady  whose  intemperate  husband 
had  come  to  believe  that  not  even  God  could  save  him  from  him- 
self; another  from  a  sister  for  a  dissipated  brother ;  another  from 
a  mother  for  a  son  who  is  addicted  to  the  use  of  intoxicating 
drinks  ;  a  doctor  in  Massachusetts  desired  prayers  for  himself — 
he  had  long  been  striving  in  vain  to  overcome  the  habit,  and  now 
asked  for  higher  aid.  Prayers  were  also  requested  for  a  brother 
who  was  once  a  professed  Christian,  but  who  now  made  the  hearts 
of  his  friends  heavy  by  yielding  to  temptation ;  a  mother  re- 
quested prayers  for  four  children,  one  of  whom  was  addicted  to 
the  use  of  wine.  Prayers  were  asked  for  God's  blessing  on  the 
Woman's  Temperance  Society  and  their  "  Home  for  Inebriate 
Women  ; "  also,  for  the  "  Franklin  Reformatory  Home."  A  wife 
and  daughter  requested  prayer  for  a  father  in  the  liquor  business. 
Prayers  were  requested  for  four  intemperate  men,  three  of  whom 
were  the  sons  of  three  deceased  elders  in  'one  Presbyterian 
church,  and  for  three  intemperate  brothers,  the  sons  of  a  minis- 
ter. 

Rev.  Dr.  J.  Wheaton  Smith  also  offered  a  fervent  prayer  for 
the  salvation  of  those  who  were  unable  to  take  even  the  first  step 
towards  saving  themselves.  He  asked  for  comfort  for  aged 
hearts,  for  wives  and  daughters  and  sisters,  so  that  they  could 
feel  to-day  the  joy  of  thanksgiving,  and  asked  special  blessing  on 
those  who  were  engaged  in  the^unhallowed  traffic,  that  they  should 
be  taught  that  all  happiness  on  earth  or  in  heaven  would  be  lost 
if  they  should  continue  in  their  present  course. 

The  congregation  then  rose,  and  with  heartfelt  earnestness 
translated  into  the  harmonies  of  sound  the  words  of  the  3d 
hymn : 


MOODY    AND    SAN  KEY    IN    AMERICA.  63 1 

'*  I  need  Thee  every  hour. 
Most  gracious  Lord  ; 
No  tender  voice  like  Thine 
Can  peace  afford." 

Mr.  Sankey  stopped  the  singing  at  the  third  verse  and  said  : 
"Now  we  should  like  to  hear  every  one  in  tlie  house  who  beheve 
that  they  do  need  the  Lord  join  in  that  chorus  : " 

"  I  need  Thee,  oh  !  I  need  Thee, 
E^very  hour  I  need  Thee  ; 
Oh  !  bless  me  now,  my  Saviour, 
I  come  to  Thee." 

Thus  adjured,  every  voice  seemed  to  combine  with  every  other 
to  fill  the  grand  auditorium  with  the  musical  reverberations  of  the 
beautiful  supplication,  and  the  waves  of  harmony  rolled  mountain 
high  through  the  seemingly  limitless  structure. 

The  secretary  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association,  Mr. 
Cree,  spoke  of  the  case  of  a  drunkard  who  had  come  into  his 
office  and  asked  special  pra^-ers  for  strength  to  resist  temptation. 

Another  case  was  mentioned  of  a  poor  man  who  came  into  the 
inquirj^-room  with  a  heart  almost  breaking,  and  said  he  wanted 
the  people  to  pray  for  him,  but  could  not  write  a  line,  and  was 
consequently  unable  to  send  in  a  request  without  help.  It  was 
also  requested  that  prayer  be  offered  for  an  unworthy  son,  who 
had  for  years  resisted  every  effort  to  bring  him  into  the  right  way, 
and  also  for  his  companion,  with  whom  he  had  become  united 
within  a  few  weeks.  Rev.  Dr.  Hatfield,  in  referring  to  the  course 
of  intemperance,  said  there  was,  humanly  speaking,  no  hope  for 
a  drunkard.  Only  in  rare  instances  could  the  victim  of  alcoholic 
stimulants  be  saved.  But  nothing  was  too  hard  for  God  to  ac- 
complish, and  he  wanted  his  hearers  to  try  and  have  faith  in  what 
seemed  an  utter  impossibility.  At  one  time  the  speaker  could 
not  force  himself  to  have  full  faith,  but  a  number  of  instances 
which  had  since  been  brought  to  his  attention,  had  proved  to 
him  how  weak  had  been  his  confidence  in  God.  One  of  these 
instances  was  the  case  of  a  man  who  was  so  completely  ruined 


632  MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 

by  drink  that  when  at  last  he  showed  some  sign  of  repentance 
the  speaker  thought  he  must  have  some  evil  design.  But  the 
man  was  prayed  for  again  and  again,  and  these  prayers  were  an- 
swered, for  he  has  been  a  sober,  industrious,  respectable  citizen  for 
the  last  eighteen  years.  "Father"  Martin  next  offered  a  prayer 
for  the  salvation  of  drunkards.  Mr.  Moody  said  he  noticed  an 
aged  man  the  evening  before  urging  a  young  man  to  go  into  the 
inquiry-room.  Afterward,  when  he  went  into  the  room,  he  met 
that  father  and  the  youth  together  and  prayed  with  them.  The 
old  man,  with  tears  in  his  eyes,  then  said :  "  Mr.  Moody,  I  hve 
twenty  miles  out  in  the  country,  and  came  all  the  way  here  to- 
night to  thank  you  ;  for  this  afternoon  I  received  a  letter  from  my 
son,  who  has  been  attending  these  meetings,  and  is  now  con- 
verted." "  Is  this  young  man  also  your  son  ? "  asked  the  speaker. 
"  No,"  was  the  unexpected  reply ;  "  he  is  a  stranger  to  me.'* 
"  This,"  continued  Mr.  Moody,  "  was  the  most  beautiful  part  of 
it.  The  old  man  had  come  to  thank  us  for  assisting  m  his  son's 
conversion,  and  had  seized  the  opportunity  to  urge  some  other 
man's  son  to  seek  the  Lord.  Now  we  ought  to  lift  our  eyes  above 
all  human  belief,  and  remember  that  Christ  has  the  power  to  help 
every  one  who  asks  for  his  divine  aid.  But  some  say,  '  It  has 
become  a  disease  with  me  ;  I  can't  help  myself;  my  soul  don't 
need  a  physician  ;  it  is  my  body  that  is  sick.'  But  don't  you 
suppose  Christ  can  heal  the  body?  He  has  power  over  disease. 
The  Great  Physician  never  fails.  Some  mothers  say, '  My  son  is 
dead  to  everytliing  that  is  pure;  dead  to  every-thing  that's  holy.' 
You  remember  the  child  that  was  dead  and  Christ  raised  it  up 
v/hen  asked  to  do  it  ?  You  will  find  him  able  to  raise  up  any 
child  of  the  flesh,  whether  dead  or  not.  Christ  has  power  over 
devils,  over  disease,  and  over  death.  In  London  I  saw  a  great 
many  incurable  hospitals.  They  did  not  need  anything  of  the 
kind  when  Christ  was  on  earth.  No  case  was  incurable  then. 
Now  let  us  pray  that  he  will  cure  this  disease  of  drunkenness. 

"  Our  Heavenly  Father,  we  thank  Thee  for  such  a  Saviour  as 
Thou  hast  sent,  and  now  we  come  to-day  to  ask  that  Thou  wilt 
rebuke  the  devils  who  have  taken  possession  of  fathers,  and 


MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA.  6^^ 

brothers,  and  sons,  and  cast  them  out;  make  bare  Thine  arm  to 
save  these  drunkards  ;  bless  these  strangers  who  have  come  to 
us  to-day.  They  are  strangers  to  us,  but  not  strangers  to  Thee ; 
Heavenly  Father,  help  them,  raise  them,  so  that  soon  a  band  of 
men  who  are  now  the  slaves  of  strong  drink  may  be  working  for 
His  glory.  While  the  infidels  are  mocking  and  scoffing  and  saying, 
'  God  cannot  save  drunkards,'  O  God  !  make  bare  Thine  arm  and 
show  them  Thy  strength ;  show  them  that  God  can  save  the 
lowest  drunkards,  and  it  will  be  to  Thy  great  glory.  Amen." 
The  56th  hymn  was  then  sung  as  follows : 

"  The  great  Physician  now  is  near, 
The  sympathizing  Jesus ; 
He  speaks  the  drooping  heart  to  cheer, 
Oh  !  hear  the  voice  of  Jesus. 

Chorus — Sweetest  note  in  seraph  song, 

Sweetest  name  on  mortal  tongue, 
Sweetest  carol  ever  sung, 
Jesus,  blessed  Jesus  !" 

Rev.  Dr.  Breed  arose  and  said  he  had  long  felt  the  strongest 
sympathy  for  those  who  were  suffering  from  that  particular  evil, 
and  he  knew  there  was  not  a  minister  living  who  did  not  feel  in 
the  same  way.  In  all  such  cases  the  man  was  still  the  same.  It 
was  only  the  appetite  which  was  unconquerable.  All  had  heard 
of  the  member  of  Congress,  who,  when  asked  to  sign  the  pledge, 
said,  "Sign  it,  yes;  and  then  I  w^ould  cut  off  my^-ight  hand  if 
that  would  compel  me  to  keep  it."  Don't  think  there  was-no 
hope.  A  lady  of  this  city,  who  once  had  a  drunken  father,  many 
and  many  a  time  had  gone  out  to  look  for  him  at  night,  and,  find- 
ing him  in  some  saloon,  would  stand  in  the  cold  and  snow  until 
he  came  out.  The  touch  of  her  hand  would  turn  him,  and  he 
would  follow  her  staggering  to  their  home.  One  evening,  while 
the  keen  winds  of  winter  swept  down  evtry  street,  and  a  freezing 
sleet  covered  everything  with  a  coat  of  ice,  she  attempted  in  the 
same  way  to  lead  him  home,  but  he  staggered  and  fell  on  the 
pavement.     She  bent  over  him,  trying  to  revive  him,  and  when  he 


-634  MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 

returned  to  consciousness  her  hair  was  frozen  to  his  lips.  She 
succeeded  in  getting  him  home  alive,  and  in  less  than  one  month 
afterwards  he  comjDletely  reformed.  A  converted  rum-seller  in 
the  audience  then  arose  and  said  he  was  once  a  dealer  in  the 
accursed  stuff,  but  now  thanked  God  that  he  would  never  again 
touch  the  hell-distilled  fluid  or  raise  it  to  the  lips  of  a  brother.  Rev. 
Dr.  Newton  prayed  earnestly  that  all  who  were  struggling  for  sal- 
vation might  be  saved  by  the  grace  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  that 
those  who  had  sunk  so  low  that  they  had  no  desire  to  rise  might 
be  brought  to  see  the  terrible  error  of  their  ways  and  helped  to 
redeem  themselves  before  it  was  too  late.  The  congregation 
then  united  in  singing  the  89th  hymn : 

"  Yield  not  to  temptation, 

For  yielding  is  sin  ; 
Each  victory  will  help  you 

Some  other  to  win. 
Fight  manfully  onward, 

Dark  passions  subdue, 
Look  ever  to  Jesus, 

He'll  carry  you  through. 

Chorus — Ask  the  Saviour  to  help  you, 

Comfort,  strengthen,  and  keep  you  ; 
He  is  willing  to  aid  you, 
He  will  carry  you  through." 

This  hymn  was  sung  with  a  will,  all  joining  most  heartily  in 
the  chorus.  It  was  then  announced  by  Mr.  Moody  that  another 
meeting  of  the  same  character  would  be  held  next  Friday  noon, 
and  the  meeting  adjourned. 

Mr.  Sankey,  with  all  his  enthusiastic  love  of  the  Father,  for 
whose  worship  all  hymns  were  written,  never  forgets  that  flesh  is 
very  weak,  and  must  be  helped  by  all  the  means  which  can  be 
provided.  He  therefore  usually  selects  hymns  for  the  opening 
praise  with  a  light,  joyous  melody,  which  soon  brings  all  hearts 
into  sympathy,  so  that,  as  the  services  proceed,  the  majestic 
movement  and  grand  harmonies  of  familiar  long-metre  hymns  do 


MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN   AMERICA.  635 

not  roll  ineffectively  around  souls  still  insensible  from  worldly 
influence,  but  sweep  in  resistless  waves  of  music  along  the  ten- 
derest  chords  of  the  human  heart,  lifting  the  soul  far  above  the 
burden  of  clay  which  weighs  it  to  the  earth. 

'  When  a  meeting  is  held  specially  for  young  men,  it  is  alwa3^s 
better  that  those  for  whom  it  is  intended  should  take  the  most 
prominent  part  in  the  exercises ;  but  every  one  who  has  had  the 
management  of  such  gatherings  will  readily  appreciate  the  diffi- 
culty that  is  ahvays  experienced  in  carrying  this  rule  into  practice. 
What  is  needed  to  make  young  men's  meetings  full  of  interest  and 
productive  of  benefit  is  short  addresses,  prayers,  and  little  crumbs 
of  experience  incident  to  a  young  man's  life  ;  and  when  twenty  or 
thirty  participate  within  an  hour,  each  contributing  to  the  spiritu- 
ality of  the  occasion,  there  never  need  be  any  fear  of  a  dull  meet- 
ing. A  v/ord  of  encouragement  from  an  old  Christian,  who  has  a 
young  heart,  is  always  welcome  and  beneficial ;  but  when  the 
aged  brethren  monopolize  three-fourths  of  the  time,  as  is  some- 
times the  case,  with  long,  prosy,  and  wearisome  sermonizing,  all 
the  soul  of  the  meeting  is  effectually  stamped  out,  and  the  time 
is,  of  course,  then  wasted. 

Throughout  the  series  of  deeply  interesting  gatherings  of  3^oung 
men,  held  in  the  North  Reformed  Church,  Brooklyn,  under  the 
excellent  superintendence  of  Charles  M.  Morton,  this  difficulty 
was  not  unfrequently  encountered ;  and  the  same  evil  began  to 
show  itself  in  the  meetings  held  here  nightly. 

A  happy  suggestion  was,  however,  made  and  acted  upon. 
Mr.  Moody  announced  on  Sunday  that  the  following  evening  a 
fathers'  meeting  would  be  commenced  at  Dr.  McCook's  church, 
Penn  Square;  "and  henceforth,"  said  he,  "nobody  over  forty 
years  of  age  will  be  admitted  to  the  young  men's  meeting.  I  put 
the  limit  at  forty,  because  that  will  just  allow  me  to  go  there  when 
I  want."  The  fathers'  meeting  was  accordingly  held  on  Monday 
night,  and  last  evening  it  developed  into  a  parents'  meeting,  both 
fathers  and  mothers  being  invited  to  attend  for  prayer  and  con- 
versation in  regard  to  the  conversion  of  their  children.  Mr.  John 
Field  has  been  chosen  as  the   leader ;  and  it  seems  likely  that 


6^6  MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA, 

this  new  feature  will  speedily  become  one  of  the  most  important 
auxiliaries  of  the  revival  work.  The  leader  last  evening  delivered 
a  brief  but  very  impressive  address,  relating  an  incident  con- 
,nected  with  his  own  personal  history  which  touched  every  heart; 
then  the  meeting  was  opened  for  prayer  and  short  testimonies, 
many  petitions  being  offered  for  unconverted  parents  and  children 
out  of  the  ark  of  safety. 

Said  Mr.  Moody:  "I  was  never  more  shocked  than  on  one 
occasion  when  a  father  said  to  his  son,  after  he  had  returned 
from  a  meeting  of  this  kind  where  he  had  given  his  heart :  '  My 
son,  I  always  hoped  that  you  would  become  established  in  busi- 
ness before  you  gave  attention  to  matters  of  religion ; '  but  I  don't 
believe  one  father  out  of  ten  millions  would  say  such  a  thing  as 
that.  It  is  better  to  go  up  to  heaven  from  the  poor-house  than  to 
go  down  to  hell  in  a  gilded  chariot.  What  is  there  to  be  gained 
by  losing  your  soul  and  thinking  only  all  the  time  of  riches  ?  "  The 
speaker  said  that  he  would  rather  lose  his  eyes  ten  thousand 
times  over  than  to  lose  his  soul.  He  then  narrated  an  incident 
of  a  little  child  who  had  been  run  over  and  killed,  and  the  news 
was  taken  to  the  fither  by  the  superintendent  of  a  Sunday-school 
in  Chicago,  and  when  the  superintendent  told  the  father  he  arose 
like  a  wild  man  and  rushed  to  the  mother,  and  she  cried  out  to 
be  taken  to  see  the  child ;  but  the  good  man  told  her  that  the 
child's  body  was  so  mangled  that  it  could  not  be  recognized  by 
her.  The  superintendent  said  to  Mr.  Moody  that  he  would  rather 
do  anything  again  than  to  bear  such  news  to  a  family  and  witness 
such  a  sight.  The  speaker  said  that  it  would  be  better  to  lose 
everything  than  lose  your  own  souls.  The  little  child  went  to 
heaven ;  it  would  be  far  worse  to  have  borne  the  news  that  their 
little  child's  soul  had  been  lost.  Let  the  news  go  up  to  heaven  to- 
night, "  Saved."  Strive  to  enter  heaven  by  the  straight  way.  A 
man  has  but  to  will  to  do  a  thing,  and  it  will  be  done.  God  has 
done  all  he  can  for  you.  He  has  sent  his  only  Son  to  save  you, 
and  if  you  will  to  be  saved  you  will  find  comfort,  peace,  and  hap- 
piness. It  is  for  you  to  decide  to-night  whether  you  will  serve 
the  Lord  or   will    take  the  side    of  Satan.      Since    the    fall   of 


MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA.  637 

Adam,  Satan  has  been  an  usurper;  he  has  no  right  to  this 
world.  The  Son  of  man  has  come  to  seek  and  save  ;  he  is  here 
now  to  seek  and  save.  Are  you  willing  to  be  saved  now  ?  No 
matter  how  dark  and  deep  your  sins  may  be.  He  can  pardon 
your  sins  if  you  will  only  come  to  him.  Christ  comes  to  you  to- 
night to  carry  you  over  the  dark  river,  if  you  will  only  let  him. 
Sinners,  won't  you  come  to  Jesus  to-night  ? 

Meeting  for  Women. 

The  afternoon  service,  which  was  exclusively  for  women,  may 
be  said  to  have  commenced  the  actual  work  of  the  revival.  The 
meeting  was  one  never  to  be  forgotten  by  any  who  were  present. 
At  two  o'clock  the  doors  were  thrown  open,  and  the  crowds  be- 
gan to  pour  in  until  before  half-past  three  all  available  space  was 
crowded.  More  than  eleven  thousand  women  gathered  at  this 
religious  service,  the  ushers  and  reporters  being  the  only  men 
allowed  on  the  main  floor.  By  far  the  larger  portion  of  the  occu- 
pants of  the  platform  were  ladies  representing  the  upper  and 
middle  classes,  while  here  and  there  could  be  seen  poverty- 
stricken  needle-women  who  in  their  battle  for  life  had  been  unable 
to  find  time  to  think  of  the  life  to  come.  Fully  three  hundred 
members  of  the  combination  choir  were  in  their  seats,  and  on  the 
stage  were  many  prominent  clergymen.  Said  the  evangelist: 
"  You  have  seen  the  murderer  before  the  court  of  justice.  If  he 
had  a  mother  she  was  there  with  him.  She  was  not  ashamed  of 
him,  but  would  say,  '  Guilty  or  not  guilty,  he  is  my  boy,  and  I 
love  him.'  How  such  a  mother  clings  to  her  son's  side  every 
moment  possible  !  How  she  watches  every  witness  who  comes 
to  testify  against  her  own  !  How  she  weeps  and  prays  with  him 
in  his  narrow  cell,  and  when  at  last  the  verdict  comes  in  'guilty,' 
the  loving  heart-strings  break  at  last,  and  the  mother  is  carried 
fainting,  almost  dead,  from  the  room.  But  her  boy  still  lives  for 
a  few  hours,  and  she  comes  back.  She  follows  him  to  the  scaf- 
fold, and  suffers  a  thousand  deaths  while  he  is  suffering  one." 
A*"  this  point  the  loud  sobbing  of  a  woman  in  the  audience  be- 


638  MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 

came  so  painful  that  for  a  moment  the  speaker  could  not  proceed. 
Recovering  himself,  he  said :  "  Such  is  a  mother's  love,  and  yet 
your  Heavenly  Father  loves  you  more  dearly,  more  devotedly 
than  a  mother  ever  can."  All  who  desired  to  be  prayed  for  were 
tlien  requested  to  rise,  and  at  least  three  thousand  persons 
stood  up. 

Inquiry-Meetings. 

Mr.  Moody  then  arose  and  said :  "  I  want  to  say  a  few  words 
to  you  to-day  about  the  inquiry-rooms.  Many  persons  talk  about 
them  as  though  they  were  something  new,  and  ask  what  is  the 
object  of  such  places  ^  We  have  been  much  hindered  in  our 
work  by  people  who,  night  after  night,  come  as  spectators,  as 
though  we  were  all  on  exhibition.  I  think  it  is  very  strange  that 
any  Christian  should  not  understand  the  object  of  inquiry-meet- 
ings, for  they  are  not  an  innovation.  Look  at  the  third  chapter 
of  Luke  and  at  the  ninth  verse  :  'And  now  also  the  axe  is  laid  at 
the  root  of  the  trees ;  every  tree  therefore  which  bringeth  not 
forth  good  fruit  is  hewn  down  and  cast  into  the  fire.  And  the 
people  asked  Him,  saying,  What  shall  we  do  then  ? '  Then  there 
was  an  inquiry-meeting  at  once.  The  people  became  anxious 
about  the  salvation  of  their  souls,  and  wanted  to  know  what  they 
should  do  to  be  saved.  '  He  ansv/ereth  and  saith  unto  them.  He 
that  hath  two  coats,  let  him  impart  to  him  that  hath  none; 
and  he  that  hath  meat,  let  him  do  likewise.'  That  was  an  in- 
quiry-meeting. All  the  people  wanted  was  a  little  advice,  and 
that  was  given  them.  '  Then  came  also  publicans  to  be  baptized, 
and  said  unto  Him,  Master,  what  shall  we  do  ?  And  He 
said  unto  them,  Exact  no  more  than  that  which  is  appointed  you.' 
That  was  another  inquiry-meeting.  '  And  the  soldiers  likewise 
demanded  of  Him,  saying,  And  what  shall  we  do?  And  He  said 
unto  them,  Do  violence  to  no  man,  neither  accuse  any  falsely ; 
and  be  content  with  your  wages.'  You  see  all  classes  of  hearers 
were  asking,  'What  shall  we  do?'  They  were  given  special  an- 
swers for  special  cases,  and  that  constituted  an  inquiry-meeting. 
Even   John   could    not   preach  so  plainly  but  that  his  hearers 


MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA.  639 

wanted  more  expounding.  The  object  of  inquiry-meetings  is  to 
answer  those  who  have  special  questions  to  ask.  Many  persons 
may  be  affected  by  a  good  sermon  or  touched  by  a  fervent 
prayer,  but  each  one  may  have  pecuhar  difficulties  to  overcome, 
and  unless  these  can  be  presented  to  some  Christian  who,  having 
been  through  the  same  trials,  can  advise  how  to  get  rid  of  them, 
even  the  most  anxious  souls  may  go  away  discouraged,  and,  v.'hat 
is  worse,  remain  away.  In  the  thirteenth  chapter  of  Matthew  we 
read,  '  Now  Jesus  sent  the  multitude  away  and  went  into  the 
house  ;  and  His  disciples  came  unto  Him,  saying,  Declare  unto 
us  the  parable  of  the  tares  of  the  field.  There  was  another  in- 
quiry-meeting at  once.  Even  the  faithful  disciples  of  Jesus  had 
questions  to  ask  as  soon  as  opportunity  offered.  In  the  fifty-first 
verse  we  find  that  the  Master  himself  opened  an  inquiry-meeting, 
for  it  says :  '  Jesus  saith  unto  them.  Have  ye  understood  all 
these  things  ?  They  say  unto  Him,  Yea,  Lord.'  There,  you  see, 
He  was  encouraging  them  to  make  inquiry.  This  is  the  only 
way  the  Truth  can  be  preached  and  be  made  effective.  We  must 
get  right  in  among  the  people  and  answer  the  numberless  ques- 
tions which  confuse  groping  minds  if  we  wish  to  bring  souls  to 
Christ.  If  there  were  more  inquiry-rooms  there  would  be  more 
effective  preaching.  In  the  eighteenth  chapter  of  Matthew  we 
read  •  'Then  came  Peter  unto  Him  and  said.  Lord,  how  oft  shall 
my  brother  sin  against  me  and  I  forgive  him?  till  seven  times?' 
This  was  an  inquiry-meeting  started  by  Peter,  and  it  is  a  very 
good  thing  that  Peter  went  to  the  Lord  with  that  question,  for 
otherwise  we  never  would  have  had  this  blessed  answer :  '  Jesus 
saith  unto  him,  I  say  not  unto  thee,  Until  seven  times  ;  but, 
Until  seventy  times  seven.'  Christ  always  encouraged  His  fol- 
lowers to  come  to  Him,  and  He  was  always  ready  to  answer 
their  inquiries.  The  preaching  that  does  bring  inquirers  is  just 
the  kind  the  devil  does  not  want. 

"Another  inquiry-meeting  is  told  of  in  the  19th  chapter  of 
Matthew:  'And  behold,  one  came  and  said  unto  Him,  Good 
Master,  what  good  thing  shall  I  do  that  I  may  have  eternal  life?' 
In  the  24th  chapter  of  Matthew,  still  another  inquiry-meeting  is 


640  MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 

spoken  of:  'And  as  He  sat  upon  the  Mount  of  Olives,  the  dis- 
ciples came  unto  Him  privately,  saying,  Tell  us  when  shall  these 
things  be  ?  and  what  shall  be  the  sign  of  Thy  coming,  and  of  the 
end  of  the  world?'  These  all  show  how  they  used  to  have  in- 
quiry-meetings in  the  da3^s  of  Christ.  In  the  2d  chapter  of  the 
Acts  we  read :  '  Now  when  they  heard  this,  they  were  pricked 
in  their  heart  and  said  unto  Peter  and  to  the  rest  of  the  Apostles, 
Men  and  brethren,  what  shall  we  do  ?  Then  Peter  said  unto 
them,  Repent  and  be  baptized  every  one  of  you  in  the  name  of 
Jesus  Christ  for  the  remission  of  sins,  and  ye  shall  receive  the 
gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost.'  In  the  8th  chapter  of  the  Acts  we  hear 
of  an  inquiry-meeting  that  did  not  take  place  after  a  sermon  or 
in  church,  but  way  off  in  the  desert.  Philip  found  a  poor  eunuch 
out  in  the  desert  and  quieted  his  anxious  spirit  by  telling  him  it 
was  only  necessary  to  believe  in  order  to  be  saved.  The  eunuch 
was  baptized,  and  went  on  his  way  rejoicing.  The  Bible  is  full 
of  accounts  of  inquiry-meetings.  While  Paul  w^as  at  Rome  there 
was  at  all  times  anxious  persons  hastening  to  his  house  and  in- 
quiring, '  What  shall  we  do  to  be  saved  ? '  They  did  not  go 
there  to  kiss  Paul's  great  toe,  but  to  find  the  w\ay  of  life.  Some 
people  say  you  should  not  speak  to  persons  after  they  have  been 
listening  to  a  good  sermon,  for  you  may  disturb  the  seed  already 
sown.  Don't  you  know  it's  the  devil  who  is  most  apt  to  disturb 
the  seed  ?  We  should  not  only  sow  it,  but  harrow  it  down. 
All  the  workers  in  the  inquiry-rooms  should  carry  their  Bibles  and 
have  them  ready  for  just  such  cases.  When  the  inquirer  is  seek- 
ing for  light,  you  need  not  talk  to  him;  hold  up  just  the  right 
passage  from  the  Scripture  and  let  him  read  it.  The  third  class 
are  those  who  are  not  convicted  of  sin.  I  met  a  man  last  even- 
ing who  acknowledged  that  he  had  not  been  in  a  place  of  worship 
for  eight  years,  but  still  he  was  very  anxious  to  have  me  under- 
stand that  he  was  not  a  bad  man,  though  he  did  admit  that  now 
and  then,  when  he  became  angr}-,  he  would  swear.  Now  I  knew 
the  only  way  to  do  in  his  case  was  to  get  the  law  on  him.  So  I 
turned  to  the  3d  chapter  of  Romans  and  read  to  him:  'And  it 
is  written,  there  is  none  righteous,  no,  not  one.'     Then  I  turned 


MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA.  64I 

to  Isaiah  and  showed  him  that  the  thoughts  of  the  Lord  could  not 
be  his.  The  only  way  to  convict  a  man  is  to  bring  the  law  of 
God  to  bear  on  his  conscience,  and  then  when  he  fully  feels  his 
wickedness  teach  him  to  lift  up  his  heart  in  prayer  to  God.  There 
is  generally  in  the  inquirer  either  the  spirit  of  the  Pharisee  or 
the  spirit  of  the  Publican.  God  be  thanked  for  the  spirit  of  the 
Publican.  Don't  give  comfort  to  the  Pharisee,  or  to  the  uncon- 
victed. Show  them  plainly  their  wickedness.  But  when  they  are 
convicted  and  feel  that  nothing  ever  can  wash  away  their  sins, 
turn  to  the  ist  chapter  of  Isaiah  and  show  them  the  iSth  verse  : 
*  Come  now,  and  let  us  reason  together,  saith  the  Lord  ;  though 
your  sins  be  as  scarlet,  they  shall  be  as  white  as  snow ;  though 
they  be  red  like  crimson,  they  shall  be  as  wool.'  What  more 
comfort  could  be  asked  than  this?  Scarlet  and  crimson  are  two 
fast  colors,  yet  the  Lord  can  make  them  Vv'hite." 

The  inevitable  question,  asked  and  answered  so  often.  What  is 
the  secret  of  the  power  of  these  men  ?  recurs  to  each  new  com- 
munity where  their  influence  is  directly  exerted.  The  frequent 
motive  behind  the  inquiry  is  personal  desire  to  enjoy  and  employ 
this  secret  in  the  service  of  Jesus.  This  becomes  every  honest 
worker,  and  justifies  the  attempt  to  unveil  the  hiding  of  their  in- 
fluence, for  the  information  and  inspiration  of  those  who  would 
fill  the  earth  with  redeemed  souls.  And,  again,  in  the  midst  of 
our  gathered  threads,  M^e  insert  the  answers  to  this  problem,  that 
they  may  be  woven  into  the  beautiful  robe  of  their  wonderful 
career. 

There  are  two  points  here  to  be  considered  :  i.  The  occasion 
met  these  men,  and,  2.  They  proved  equal  to  it.  If  the  capabil- 
ity had  not  been  in  them,  they  would  have  dropped  into  obscurity 
like  hosts  of  others.  But  it  is  no  less  true  that  for  lack  of  occa- 
sion great  powers  often  lie  concealed,  not  only  from  the  world, 
but  even  from  him  whose  they  are.  In  Chicago,  hundreds,  even 
thousands,  gladly  heard  Mr.  Moody,  and  he  there  proved  his 
efficiency  in  every  department  of  the  work  he  undertook.  Had 
he  not,  it  is  by  no  means  probable  that  a  larger  opportunity 
would  have  opened  to  him.     When  the  enlarged  opportunity  was 


642  MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 

given,  he  showed  a  breadth  of  comprehension,  a  depth  of  insight, 
a  control  over  large  masses,  and  a  mastery  of  the  myriad  details 
of  a  great  undertaking,  such  as  his  work  in  Chicago  never  would 
have  called  for.  There  is  another  consideration.  Mr.  Moody's 
powers  have  had  development;  his  capabilities  have  not  only 
been  educed,  but  they  have  been  improved  by  exercise. 

Mr.  Moody  talks  as  if  he  knew  just  what  he  wanted  to  say,  and 
was  determined  to  say  it.  In  this  he  is  an  example  to  Sunday- 
school  teachers. 

Mr.  Moody's  Christian  experience  was  of  a  most  positive 
kind  ;  and  a  vivid  realization  of  the  appalling  fact  that  on  every 
hand  men  were  perishing  eternally  moved  him  to  the  work  which 
has  now  grown  to  such  great  proportions.  In  awakening  the 
consciences  of  the  unconverted  and  stimulating  the  activities  of 
Christians,  he  possesses  a  rare  power  that  none  can  fail  to  recog- 
nize. Herein  lies  his  greatness.  No  one  will  claim  for  Mr. 
Moody  the  richness  of  language,  the  resistless  pathos  and  humor, 
the  wonderful  mimicry  and  dramatic  power  that  characterize  the, 
great  temperance  orator.  But  Mr.  Gough  does  not  more  thor- 
oughly hold  an  audience  than  Mr.  Moody.  We  have  heard  the 
latter  when  every  eye  and  every  ear  in  his  vast  audience  were 
riveted  upon  him — the  place,  the  man,  all  else  in. the  universe 
forgotten,  while  his  homely  sentences  and  pointed  illustrations 
issued  forth  hot  and  glowing,  radiant  with  quaint  touches  of  im- 
agination, and  varied-  by  occasional  sallies  of  quiet  humor,  the 
whole  saturated  with  sincerity  and  marked  by  the  simplicity  of  a 
child-like  faith.  This  was  oratory  of  the  truest  sort.  There  are 
many  men  who  talk  as  effectively  as  Mr.  Moody /^r  a  little  while, 
or  occasionally.  They  can  get  the  sympathy  of  an  audience 
when  they  chance  to  be  in  the  vein  ;  but  it  is  a  very  different 
thing  to  be  7naster  of  an  audience.  Mr.  Moody  is  always  that ; 
at  his  best  superlatively  so. 

A  minister  who  went  to  hear  Mr.  Moody  preach  was  surprised 
that  there  was  so  little  of  plan  or  of  argument  in  his  discourse, 
that  it  was  made  up  so  largely  of  declaration  and  appeal,  and  he 
wondered  how  such  preaching  could  prove  so   impressive.     In- 


MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA.  643 

deed,  he  was  sure  that  a  sermon  of  that  kind  was  not  likely  to 
convince  an  unbeliever;  it  seemed,  in  fact,  only  addressed  to 
those  who  admitted  the  truth  of  the  great  facts  which  the  preacher 
emphasized.  The  minister  was  pleased  with  Mr.  Moody  as  a 
man.  He  admired  his  earnestness  and  his  desire  to  win  souls  to 
the  Saviour ;  but  he  could  not  think  his  sermon  as  a  sermon 
amounted  to  much.  Something  else  than  such  preaching,  he  was 
confident,  gave  Mr.  Moody  the  ears  of  the  multitude. 

Yet,  just  here,  that  minister  made  a  great  mistake.  It  would 
liave  been  a  blessed  thing  for  him  and  for  sinners  about  him  if  he 
had  recognized,  in  what  he  counted  the  lack  of  Mr.  Mood}^,  one 
of  the  sources  of  Mr.  Moody's  special  power  as  a  preacher. 
That  minister  thinks  it  always  his  duty  to  argue  with  unbelievers. 
He  is  a  little  in  doubt  himself  on  most  points,  and  he  sees  that 
others  are.  He  opens  discussion  with  them  in  every  sermon, 
and  at  the  sermon's  close  neither  he  nor  they  are  quite  convinced. 
He  does  not  rest  down  on  the  Word  of  God  with  such  positive- 
ness  that  he  has  no  thought  of  its  being  in  question.  Hence  he 
never  proclaims,  declares,  preaches  the  truth  in  confidence.  He 
is  called  a  good  sermonizer,  but  his  sermons  neither  convince 
unbelievers  nor  arouse  the  careless  to  seek  salvation  ;  nor  yet  do 
they  reassure  distrustful  Christians.  If  he  would  but  believe  with 
Mr.  Moody's  confidence,  and  declare  the  gospel  with  Mr.  Moody's 
positiveness,  he  would  have  more  of  Mr.  Moody's  success  in 
bringing  his  hearers  to  a  sense  of  their  danger,  and  to  an  accept- 
ance of  the  full  salvation  to  which  he  points  them. 

Two  men  were  riding  in  a  street-car  together.  One  was  a 
skilled  infidel  and  controversialist.  The  other  was  a  simple- 
hearted  Christian  layman.  The  infidel  sought  to  provoke  an 
argument  as  to  the  Bible  and  its  truths.  The  believer's  response 
was:  "I  cannot  argue  the  case  with  you.  I  am  not  competent  to 
that.  But  this  I  do  know.  With  all  my  heart  I  trust  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  as  my  Saviour.  I  only  wish  you  had  the  joy  in  him 
which  I  have."  The  infidel's  unexpected  answer  came  promptly: 
"  There  you  have  got  me.  I  can't  answer  that."  The  assurance 
which  enables  a  child  of  God  to  testify  for  Christ  and  his  salva- 


644  MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 

tion  is  more  effective  than  the  most  carefully  constructed  argu- 
ments for  the  reasonableness  of  God's  plan  of  redemption. 

The  one  unmistakable  cause  of  the  great  interest  attending 
these  two  brethren  is  the  conviction  that  God  is  with  them. 
Among  the  natural  agencies  which  he  is  using  through  them  are : 

(i)  An  irrepressible  ardor  of  personal  conviction  ; 

(2)  The   simplicity,  quickness,  and  brightness  of  the  speak- 

(3)  The  speaker's  utter  forgetfulness  of  himself;  no  parading 
of  his  own  sanctity,  or  humility ;  of  his  own  goodness  or  bad- 
ness, or  of  himself  in  any  way. 

(4)  An  unaffected,  loving  regard  for  his  fellow-men ;  a  real 
and  affectionate  interest  in  them ;  and  a  hearty,  genial  way  of 
showing  it. 

(5)  The  entire  naturalness  of  manner  wins  and  holds  attention. 
There  is  none  of  that  straining  after  effect  which  is  so  apparent 
and  so  odious  in  some  professional  "  revivalists ; "  no  solemn 
farce,  no  cant,  no  sentimentalism.  He  appears  to  be  among 
evangelists  what  Walter  Scott  was  among  writers — a  sturdy, 
wholesome,  manly  man. 

Mr.  Moody  owes  none  of  his  success  to  fiery  enthusiasm,  sensa- 
tional exhortings,  or  clever  advertising,  as  many  devotees,  not  to 
religion  but  to  special  church  organizations,  so  confidently  as- 
serted. He  owes  it  all  to  simple  earnestness,  unerring  judg- 
ment, and  that  never-failing  conservator  of  human  effort — method. 
Most  of  his  brothers  of  the  cloth,  knowing  that  their  con- 
gregations are  comiDosed  of  representatives  of  many  classes  and 
conditions  of  life,  and  honestly  desiring  to  preach  and  pray  as 
much  for  one  as  another,  forget  that  homoeopathic  principles  can- 
not be  extended  to  include  the  soul  diseases  which  the  Great 
Physician  came  to  cure,  and  thus  continue  to  dilute  the  current 
of  their  endeavor  by  attempting  to  preach  on  all  sins  and  to  all. 
sinners  at  the  same  time,  until  such  infinitesimal  portions  are  dis- 
pensed to  those  who  need  special  aid  that  their  work  is,  after  all, 
but  love's  labor  lost.  Mr.  Moody,  from  the  very  start,  has  been 
as  systematic  in  his  work  as  an  astronomer  laboring  to  master 


MOODY   AND   SANKEY    IN   AMERICA.  645 

the  secrets  of  some  newly-discovered  planet.  He  is  not  content 
with  simply  giving  his  life  to  the  cause  of  religion,  trusting  to 
some  higher  power  to  carry  home  the  arrows  shot  at  random,  but 
so  husbands  his  strength,  so  concentrates  his  energies,  and  so 
persistently  directs  his  efforts  to  the  special  work  of  the  moment, 
that  every  word  is  made  to  tell,  and  each  succeeding  sentence 
carries  more  and  more  conviction  to  the  hearts  which  it  is  in- 
tended to  influence.  It  will  be  remembered  that,  contrary  to 
all  precedent,  the  evangelist  commenced  his  work  of  regenera- 
tion, not  with  the  unconverted,  but  with  professed  Christians. 
Ignoring  the  sins  of  sinners,  he  preached  only  of  the  sins  of  saints. 

For  one  whole  week  this  unexpected  but  perhaps  not  unneces- 
sary prelude  to  the  regular  programme  was  continued,  and  dur- 
ing that  time  it  is  possible  that  not  a  few  really  earnest  and  de- 
voted lovers  of  their  Master  discovered  that  in  the  crowning 
grace  of  charity  they  were  sadly  lacking,  for  Christian  bounty 
should  be  as  boundless  as  the  sea  and  Christian  love  as  deep. 
During  the  past  week  Mr.  Moody  has  worked  exclusively  for 
those  who,  while  not  doubting  the  truth  of  Revelation,  have  failed 
to  follow  its  teachings  or  come  into  full  sympathy  with  its  consol- 
ing spirit.  These  divided  from  the  Christian  workers,  the  pro- 
fessed infidels  and  unbelievers  in  the  plan  of  the  Atonement, 
were  again  subdivided  by  Mr.  Moody's  system  of  teaching  into 
as  many  different  classes  as  their  varied  needs  seemed  to  require. 
For  each  special  services  vv^ere  held,  at  which  special  arguments 
and  appeals  were  employed  to  reach  their  particular  cases. 
There  were  meetings  for  men,  meetings  for  women,  meetings  for 
mothers,  for  fathers,  for  young  men,  for  parents,  and  last,  but 
not  least  in  importance,  for  drunkards.  At  each  one  of  these 
assemblages  the  services,  from  the  opening  prayer  to  the  bene- 
diction, were  conducted  exclusively  and  most  heartily  for  the 
spiritual  benefit  of  the  class  which  had  responded  to  the  call. 

Curious  as  it  may  appear,  the  great  evangelist  seems  instinct- 
ively to  have  adopted  in  his  spiritual  warfare  with  Satan  precisely 
the  same  tactics  which,  originated  by  the  first  Napoleon,  was  the 
secret   of  his  numberless    and  marvellous  victories.     Napoleon 


646  MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 

never  made  a  direct  movement  until  he  had  so  divided  the  bat- 
talions of  the  enemy  that  by  a  coup  d'etat  he  could  concentrate 
his  whole  force  on  one  subdivision,  thereby  gaining  a  certain  vic- 
tory without  material  loss,  and  thus  continuing  until  the  enemy 
was  reduced  to  fragments  and  routed.  The  evangelist,  in  his 
crusade  against  evil,  follows  exactly  the  same  plan.  Instead  of 
imitating  the  Church  and  firing  indiscriminate  and  ineffective 
rounds  into  the  well-trained  ranks  of  the  enemy,  he  persuades 
the  sinners  to  divide  themselves  into  clearly-defined  classes,  and 
then  concentrates  his  whole  force  on  the  separated  fragments, 
wdth,  as  a  result,  an  amazing  number  of  unconditional  surrenders. 
But,  besides  Mr.  Moody's  earnestness  and  attention  to  system, 
there  is  back  of  all  an  overpowering  strength  of  will,  made  pecu- 
liarly effective  by  a  large  amount  of  animal  magnetism.  These 
qualities  combined  would  raise  any  man  of  ordinary  intelligence 
above  his  fellows  ;  but  when  this  power  is  controlled  by  intense 
religious  feeling,  it  not  only  raises  the  leader  above  his  fellow^s, 
but  his  fellows  above  themselves.  Who  shall  describe  the  evan- 
gelist's preaching?  He  is  not  oratorical  or  rhetorical  or  even 
logical.  His  brightest  ideas  are  not  aesthetic,  and  his  most 
effective  appeals  are  ndt  pathetic.  Still,  he  has  the  faculty  of 
selecting  out  the  very  arguments  or  illustrations  which  w^ill  most 
affect  the  particular  heart  he  desires  to  touch,  and  of  presenting 
those  arguments  or  illustrations  in  such  a  gleaming  light  of  plau- 
sibility as  to  throw  into  a  shadow  every  opposite  thought  which 
chance  may  evolve.  When  speaking  to  parents,  he  invariably 
tells  of  the  beautiful  children  who  stand  beckoning  to  their  loved 
papa  and  mamma  from  the  summerland  ;  when  talking  to  sons 
and  daughters,  he  adjures  them  by  their  white-haired  father  or 
sainted  mother  to  hasten  onw^ard  to  the  jDlace  of  pure  delight 
where  all  who  love  may  be  again  united.  He  appeals  to  hus- 
bands to  reform  for  the  sake  of  their  loving  waves  and  innocent 
children,  and  to  wives  to  come  to  the  Father  for  the  sake  of  their 
wayward  husbands  and  helpless  babes.  There  may  be  art  in 
such  methods  of  making  truth  patent,  but  with  Mr.  Moody  it 
has  the  effect  of  the  perfection  of  art — artlessness. 


THE    WORK    IN    PHILADELPHIA.  647 


The  Harvest  Gathered. 


The  third  week  of  the  evangelists'  labors  among  the  uncon- 
verted in  Philadelphia,  drew  to  a  close  on  Saturday,  Dec.  nth. 

At  the  end  of  a  fortnight  their  special  work,  that  of  arousing 
members  of  churches  to  activity  and  individual  effort,  was  prob- 
ably as  far  advanced  as  in  Brooklyn  when  the  evangelists  had 
ended  their  month's  labors  ;  but,  then,  it  must  be  remembered 
that  the  City  of  Brotherly  Love  had  caught  inspiration  from  the 
glorious  and  successful  meetings  in  Brooklyn,  which  will  always 
be  remembered  as  initiatory  of  a  revival  that  promises  to  be 
widespread,  if  not  national,  in  its  influence  and  extent.  There 
were  some  difficulties  to  be  overcome  when  the  work  was  begun 
in  Brooklyn,  which  did  not  present  themselves  in  Philadelphia. 
When  the  evangelists  came  here  on  the  21st  of  November,  it  was 
no  longer  a  matter  of  doubt  that  in  their  own  land,  as  well  as  in 
the  British  Isles,  great  crowds  would  be  attracted  to  listen  to  Mr. 
Moody's  earnest  talks  and  Mr.  Sankey's  sweet  gospel  sermons  in 
song.  -Something  of  the  methods  by  which  the  multitudes  were 
to  be  reached  and  brought  under  religious  influences  had  begun 
to  be  appreciated  ;  the  efficiency  and  important  mission  of  the 
inquiry-meeting  were  recognized,  if  not  generally,  at  least  in 
part  :  and  so  the  special  work  in  the  City  of  Churches,  while  it 
has  brought  forth  lasting  fruit  in  the  conversion  of  many  souls, 
and  might  have  been  still  more  effective  had  it  been  of  longer 
duration,  was  also  influential  here  in  Philadelphia,  and  in  many 
cities  and  towns,  through  the  medium  of  the  press,  as  sounding 
the  preliminary  bugle-notes  which  called  the  Lord's  hosts  to 
battle. 

There  have  been  held  during  the  last  three  weeks  thirty-eight 
meetings  addressed  by  Mr.  Moody,  nine  of  them  being  specially 
for  Christian  workers,  fourteen  for  the  general  public  (these  had 
an  average  attendance  of  eight  thousand),  and  fifteen  daily 
prayer-meetings,    at   which    the   gatherings   have    been   on   the 


648  MOODY   AND   SANKEY    IN   AMERICA. 

average  about  three  thousand.  If  the  congregation  had  been 
composed  of  new  faces  at  every  service,  more  than  two  hundred 
thousand  of  the  citizens  of  Philadelphia  would  have  been  reached, 
but  most  probably  half  of  each  audience  has  been  made  up  of 
substantially  the  sam.e  people.  Of  the  remaining  one  hundred 
thousand,  however,  there  is  every  reason  to  believe  that  a  large 
proportion  were  of  just  the  class  sought  to  be  reached  in  these 
special  services— namely,  those  who  are  strangers  to  religion. 
Many  who  have  not  been  attending  any  place  of  worship  for  a 
length  of  time,  have  come  into  the  depot  church  and  heard 
the  Gospel  faithfully  preached.  Thus  it  will  be  seen  a  widespread 
influence  is  being  exerted  throughout  the  families  of  this  great 
city  by  these  special  meetings  beyond  that  which  could  have 
been  brought  about  through  the  regular  services  at  the  various 
churches. 

A  great  work  has  been  done  amongst  the  young  men.  Meet- 
ings are  conducted  each  evening  by  Mr,  John  Wannamaker  in 
the  Broad  and  Arch  M.  E.  Church,  at  which  the  average  attend- 
ance has  been  little  short  of  five  hundred.  Here  many  conver- 
sions have  taken  place  ;  young  men  have  learned  to  talk  to  young 
men,  and  with  loving  entreaty  and  kind  sympathy  lead  them  to 
Christ.  Mr.  Moody  spoke  to  those  v,'ho  gathered  at  this  meeting, 
and  incited  them  to  band  themselves  together  for  a  canvass  of 
the  city,  that  they  might  bring  many  strangers  to  the  meetings 
and  make  their  influence  felt  in  all  parts  of  Philadelphia.  Not 
only  was  this  v;ork  recommended,  but  hints  were  thrown  out  that 
a  still  more  important  mission  might  be  given  to  the  young  men 
of  this  city.  Philadelphia,  he  said,  was  a  great  centre,  and  there 
are  hundreds  of  towns  and  villages  in  all  the  surrounding  country 
where  special  meetings  might  be  held  and  become  productive  of 
most  wonderful  results.  "  A  thousand  young  men  are  wanted," 
he  said,  "to  devote  themselves  to  Christ's  service." 

Excursion  trains  are  running  almost  every  night,  bringing  in 
hundreds  to  the  meetings.  Thus  the  village  churches  and  coun- 
try ministers  will  be  aroused,  quickened,  and  encouraged,  and  a 
spirit  of  energy  and  Christian  zeal  very  widely  infused. 


THE    WORK    IN    PHILADELPHIA. 


649 


Women's  meetings  are  being  held  every  afternoon  in  Dr. 
McCook's  church ;  but  with  one  or  two  exceptions,  these  gather- 
ings, although  attended  by  four  or  five  hundred  persons,  have 
not  been  as  profitable  or  enlivening  as  they  might  be  made.  One 
defect  has  been  that  the  singing  is  not  sufiiciently  hearty  or  con- 
gregational— not  more  than  one  out  of  twenty  of  the  sisters  seem 
to  take  any  part  in  the  service  of  song.  There  is  also  a  tendency 
to  long  speeches ;  and  altogether  greater  heartiness  needs  to  be 
infused  into  the  meetings  in  order  to  make  them  as  useful  as  such 
services  are  designed  to  be. 

Judging  from  Mr.  Moody's  own  words,  the  results  have  been 
more  than  satisfactory — they  have  been  surprising.  More  con- 
verts are  believed  by  the  evangelists  to  have  been  made  during 
the  past  week  than  in  any  other  week  ever  spent  in  America. 
The  inquiry-rooms,  so  often  explained  and  so  ably  defended  by 
Mr.  Moody,  have  been  full  almost  every  evening,  and  a  large  pro- 
portion of  those  converted  have  at  once  become  workers  for  the 
salvation  of  others.  There  were  on  Sunday  three  regular  ser- 
vices ;  the  first  in  the  morning  for  Christians,  the  second  at  four 
o'clock  for  women,  and  the  third  in  the  evening  for  men.  At  the 
early  morning  service  the  evangelists  were  greeted  with  a  congre- 
gation of  over  6,000  Christian  workers,  supported  by  an  excellent 
voiced  and  well-drilled  volunteer  choir  of  500  members.  This 
choir  has  been  so  perfectly  trained,  under  the  direction  of  Mr. 
Fischer,  that  it  has  become  one  of  the  best  organizations  of  its 
kind  ever  drawn  together  in  the  city.  The  services  opened  with 
the  nth  hymn, 

I  have  a  Saviour,  He's  pleading  in  glory, 
A  dear,  loving  Saviour,  though  earth  friends  be  few ; 

And  now  He's  watching  in  tenderness  o'er  me, 
And  oh  !  that  my  Saviour  were  your  Saviour  toj, 

which  was  sung  by  the  whole  congregation  with  much  spirit  and 
rare  grace  of  expression  for  a  body  of  6,000  or  7,000  singers, 
most  of  whom  were  strangers  to  each  other.     The  words,  "■  For 


650  MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 

you  I  am  praying,"  were  repeated  in  the  softest  of  echoes.  The 
87th  hymn, 

Lord,  I  hear  of  showers  of  blessing 

Thou  art  scattering  full  and  free — 
Showers  the  thirsty  land  refreshing ; 

Let  some  droppings  fall  on  me. 

Chorus — Even  me,  even  me. 

Let  Thy  blessing  fall  on  me, 

was  next  sung  by  the  choir,  led  by  Mr.  Sankey,  whose  sweet 
voice  rang  out  pure  and  clear  above  the  multitudinous  harmonies, 
like  the  notes  of  a  silver  flute  amid  the  fortissimo  tones  of  a  pow- 
erful orchestra.  Wm.  B.  Dodge,  of  New  York,  then  made  a 
prayer,  asking  that  in  the  spirit  of  the  hymn  just  sung  all  might 
move  forward  through  the  day,  and  that  the  Lord  might  grant  to 
each  and  all  a  Sabbath  day's  blessing.  He  prayed  that  all  might 
be  quickened  in  their  efforts  for  the  advancement  of  His  glory, 
and  that  clearer  views  of  the  beauty  of  salvation,  as  well  as  of 
the  pains  of  eternal  death,  might  be  given.  He  prayed  that  His 
servant,  Mr.  Moody,  should  be  strengthened  and  be  able  to  speak 
like  a  dying  man  to  dying  men.     The  79th  hymn, 

Sowing  the  seed  by  the  daylight  fair. 
Sowing  the  seed  by  the  noonday  glare, 
Sowing  the  seed  by  the  fading  light, 
Sowing  the  seed  in  the  solemn  night, 
Oh  !  what  shall  the  harvest  be  ? 

was  next  announced.  This,  whether  regarded  from  a  Scriptural, 
poetical,  or  musical  standpoint,  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  hymns 
in  the  collection;  and  it  has  become  such  a  favorite  that  nearly 
all  singers  have  learned  it,  and  now  as  the  familiar  notes  of  the 
chorus  are  touched  by  Mr.  Sankey,  the  sweet  melody,  rich  har- 
mony, and  rather  intricate  movement  are  perfectly  followed  by 
thousands  of  voices.  The  last  verse,  "  Sowing  the  seed  with  an 
aching  heart,"  was  sung  with  affecting  expression  by  Mr.  San- 
key, and  as  the  echoes  of  the  solo  died  away  the  choir  could  be 


'      THE    WORK    IN    PHILADELPHIA.  65 1 

heard  repeating  the  chorus  in  whispers  of  melody.  Mr.  Moody 
then  arose  and  read  a  part  of  the  twelfth  chapter  of  Romans. 
After  which  the  170th  hymn, 

Hark  !  the  voice  of  Jesus  crying, 
"  Who  will  go  and  work  to-day  ?  " 

was  sung  by  Mr.  Sankey  to  the  beautiful  tune  of  "  Your  Mission," 
which  became  such  a  favorite  with  the  martyred  President  Lin- 
coln, 

The  theme  and  spirit  of  the  two  compositions  are  very  similar, 
the  latter  being  religious,  while  the  original,  though  far  from 
irreligious,  was  still  better  adapted  to  secular  than  purely  devo- 
tional occasions.  Mr.  Moody  made  a  fervent  prayer,  thanking 
the  Father  for  the  success  of  the  past  three  weeks,  and  asking 
for  blessings  on  the  week  to  come.  He  prayed  that  all  the 
workers  in  the  harvest-field  might  be  strengthened  and  filled 
with  zeal  for  the  work.  The  congregation,  with  Mr.  Sankey, 
sang  with  inspiring  earnestness  the  iioth  hymn  to  the  familiar 
tune  of  Antioch.  As  the  stanzas  were  concluded,  Mr.  Moody 
arose  and  preached  an  eloquent  sermon  from  the  text,  "  Occupy 
till  I  come."  Luke  xix.  13.  He  said  the  Church  had  been 
divided  by  some  one  into  four  very  familiar  classes.  First,  there 
were  the  destroyers,  who  found  their  way  into  almost  every  con- 
gregation and  proved  destructive  to  prosperity,  as  well  as  peace 
and  harmony.  Then  there  were  the  obstructors,  who  continually 
opposed  every  movement,  whether  for  good  or  ill.  Next  came 
the  idlers,  and  finally  the  workers.  "  Now,  which  of  these  four 
classes  do  you  belong  to  ? "  continued  Mr.  Moody.  "  I  shall 
judge  no  man  ;  take  your  places  as  you  please ;  but  if  you  have 
faith  in  Christ  you  must  desire  and  occupy  till  he  comes.  The 
Church  seems  to  have  gone  into  camp  and  become  demoralized. 
Some  of  its  members  have  gone  in  simply  to  sleep  and  rest.  I 
heard  of  one  man  who  left  one  church  where  he  had  been  a  hard 
worker  and  wanted  to  enter  another,  but  said  he  did  not  want  to 
do  any  work.  '  Oh  ! '  said  the  minister,  '  you  have  made  a  mis- 
take 5   you  should  apply  to  my  neighbor,  who  is  pastor  of  the 


652  MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 

Church  of  the  Heavenly  Rest.'  I  think  very  many  more  churches 
could  appropriately  be  named  the  Heavenly  Rest.  Some  people 
think  because  they  can  do  but  little  their  efforts  are  of  no  use. 
When  Moses  told  Pharaoh  that  his  God  could  remove  the  plague 
of  the  frogs,  Pharaoh  said,  '  Oh  !  I  don't  think  much  of  your 
God  if  he  is  the  God  of  such  an  insignificant  little  thing  as  a 
frog.'  'Yes,'  replied  Moses,  'but  there  are  a  great  many  of 
them.'  Let  us  remember  that  we  may  be  little,  but  if  there  are 
only  a  great  many  of  us  we  can  do  a  great  work.  We  must 
remember  that  each  one  of  us  has  talent  peculiar  to  himself  I 
can't  sing  like  Mr.  Sankey,  or  carry  on  business  like  Mr.  Stuart ; 
I  am  not  an  organizer  like  Mr.  Wannamaker,  yet  if  I  use  my  half 
a  talent  as  such  a  man  as  Rev.  Dr.  Dodge  uses  his  ten,  I  will 
receive  the  same  reward."  Mr.  Moody  here  spoke  of  a  number 
of  interesting  instances  of  men  using  for  the  Lord  such  talents 
as  he  had  given  them,  referring  particularly  to  a  Quaker  in 
London,  who,  being  unable  to  talk,  sing,  or  otherwise  labor,  had 
expended  his  fortune  in  printing  and  circulating  tracts.  "  This 
man,"  said  Mr.  Moody,  "  has  already  sent  out  more  tracts  than 
all  the  American  and  the  London  publication  societies  combined, 
and  he  is  now  in  daily  receipt  of  piles  of  letters  from  people  who 
have  been  converted  all  over  the  world." 

The  speaker  also  told  of  a  gentleman  of  fortune  in  England 
who  had  spent  the  past  nine  years  in  searching  through  the  slums 
of  London  and  educating  the  gamins  whom  he  rescued.  Referring 
to  the  responsibility  which  all  Sunday-school  teachers  assumed, 
he  told  of  a  little  girl  who  was  converted  by  her  teacher  (who 
probably  afterwards  forgot  all  about  the  child) ;  that  child  grew 
up,  became  the  mother  of  ten  sons,  all  of  whom  were  led  into 
"paths  of  peace,"  and  six  of  whom  became  ministers  of  the 
Gospel.  Mr.  Moody  continued  at  some  length  exhorting  those 
who  had  already  received  the  Saviour  to  do  all  in  their  power 
to  save  others.  At  the  conclusion  of  this  sermon,  those  who 
were  willing  to  try  to  save  even  one  soul  during  the  week  were 
called  upon  to  stand  up,  and  fully  two-thirds  of  those  present 
rose  to  their  feet.    The  persons  who  desired  to  become  Christians 


THE   WORK    IN   PHILADELPHIA.  653 

were  next  requested  to  rise  and  one-half  of  the  remainder  stood 
up. 

The  women's  meeting  in  the  afternoon  was  thronged  with  wor- 
shippers, every  available  space  being  occupied  and  thousands 
being  compelled  to  turn  sadly  away  from  closed  doors.  Mr. 
Moody  opened  the  meeting  by  announcing  the  37th  hymn — 

Tell  me  the  old,  old  story. 

This  was  sung  by  the  ten  thousand  voices  with  an  effect  hardly 
to  be  described.  Wave  upon  wave  of  the  richest  harmony  swept 
in  great  billows  of  musical  sound  from  one  end  of  the  mighty 
structure  to  the  other  and  finally  seemed  to  die  away  among  the 
sunbeams  which  rested  gently  upon  the  windowed  roof.  The 
last  verse  was  so  inspiringly  rendered  that  at  Mr.  Moody's  request 
the  lines  were  repeated.  After  a  few  moments  spent  in  silent 
prayer  Bishop  Simpson  offered  up  a  supplication  imploring  the 
Father  to  send  on  every  one  of  the  vast  assembly  the  blessings 
of  His  grace,  that  all  might  feel  that  Christ  had  made  them 
whole.  He  thanked  the  Lord  for  the  wonderful  effusion  of  His 
Spirit  which  had  accompanied  the  labors  of  His  servants,  and 
prayed  that  they  might  see  the  multitude  turning  from  worldly 
ways  to  paths  of  holiness  and  peace.     A  new  hymn, 

Let  us  gather  up  the  sunbeams 
Lying  all  around  our  path, 

was  next  sung  as  a  solo  by  Mr.  Sankey,  the  choir  joining  in  the 
chorus : 

Then  scatter  seeds  of  kindness, 

Then  scatter  seeds  of  kindness. 

Then  scatter  seeds  of  kindness, 

For  our  reaping  by  and  by. 

Mr.  Moody  then  read  from  the  12th  chapter  of  St.  Matthew 
the  parable  of  the  ten  virgins,  and  as  he  concluded  Mr,  Sankey 
exquisitely  sang  the  new  hymn,  "The  wise  and  foolish  virgins." 
The  latter  part  of  this  hymn  is  an  adaptation  of  Balfe's  "Too 


654  MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 

Late,"   and  was  rendered  by  Mr.  Sankey  with   rare  beauty  of 
expression. 

Mr.  Moody  next  read  a  few  verses  in  the  14th  chapter  of  the 
Gospel  according  to  St.  Luke,  in  which  the  parable  of  the  mar- 
riage supper  is  written.  "I  wish,'*  said  Mr.  Moody,  "to  call 
your  attention  to  the  words,  '  I  pray  thee,  have  me  excused.' 
Though  1,800  years  have  rolled  away,  we  find  people  still  with 
one  consent  praying  to  be  excused.  It  was  not  a  pestilential 
hospital  to  which  they  were  called,  but  to  the  marriage-supper. 
To-day  the  King  of  kings  sends  an  invitation  to  every  human 
being  to  be  at  the  marriage-supper,  and  yet  how  many  want  to 
be  excused.  Suppose  the  Lord  should  take  you  all  at  your  word 
and  then  lay  the  hand  of  death  upon  you?  What  a  wail  would 
go  up  from  this  city  of  Philadelphia !  Suppose  He  should  cease 
trying  to  compel  you  to  come  in,  and  just  quietly  shut  the  door 
upon  you,  have  you  ever  tried  to  think  of  the  anguish  which  such 
a  change  would  bring  ?  If  all  who  wanted  to  be  excused  should 
be  taken  awa}^,  the  grass  would  soon  be  growing  in  the  streets  of 
Philadelphia.  There  would  be  a  good  many  shops  shut  up,  there 
would  be  no  saloon-keepers  left,  and  I  would  have  a  very  small 
audience  here  to-morrow  night.  Now,  look  at  the  excuses  which 
these  three  men  gave  :  the  first  said  he  had  bought  some  land, 
and  must  needs  go  and  see  it.  Now,  when  men  buy  land  they  go 
and  see  it  before  buying  it,  and  even  then  would  not  start  off"  at 
supper-time.  The  answer  bears  on  its  face  the  fact  that  it  was  a 
downright  lie.  The  excuse  was  manufactured.  The  second  man 
had  a  more  absurd  excuse  than  the  first.  He  said, '  I  have  bought 
a  yoke  of  oxen  and  must  needs  go  and  prove  them.'  That  excuse 
was  manufactured  also.  Men  don't  buy  oxen  and  then  prove 
them;  they  prove  them  first  and  buy  them  afterwards.  More 
than  that,  the  morning  not  the  evening  is  the  time  to  prove  oxen. 
That  excuse  shows  in  itself  that  it's  a  lie.  Then  the  third  man 
could  not  come  to  the  supper  because  he  had  married  a  wife. 
Why,  if  he  had  a  wife,  this  fine  banquet  was  just  the  place  she 
would  most  like  to  attend.  That  excuse  also  was  manufactured. 
Just  notice  how  miserable  all  these  excuses  are.     Now,  I  want  to 


THE    WORK    IN    PHILADELPHIA.  655 

ask  this  audience  just  one  question,  Have  you  got  a  better  one  ? 
Can  any  one  get  up  here  and  say,  '  Mr.  Moody,  I  have  a  good 
excuse ' .''  I  never  saw  any  one  in  my  life  who  had  a  better  ex- 
cuse, and  few  have  as  good  ones,  yet  even  these,  poor  "as  they 
are,  are  manufactured.  Look  at  some  of  the  excuses  we  hear  in 
the  inquiry-rooms.  Some  say,  'Oh!  it's  so  hard  to  serve  the 
Master.'  This  is  a  mistake,  Christ  is  an  easy  Master.  '  The 
way  of  the  transgressor  is  hard.^  I  stand  here  as  a  witness 
that  my  God  and  my  Saviour  is  not  a  hard  Master.  ,  Another 
excuse  is  that  the  inquirer  don't  understand  the  Bible.  Now,  I 
don't  beHeve  that  excuse  will  stand  the  light  of  eternity.  I  never 
met  skeptical  people  that  have  read  the  Bible  from  back  to  back, 
and  I  know  there  is  no  book  more  misjudged.  People  will  sel- 
dom judge  of  a  new  book  until  they  have  read  it,  but  they  wil- 
lingly judge  God's  book  before  looking  into  it.  More  than  that, 
the  Bible  was  not  made  to  understand.  Don't  give  up  th^  good 
old  Bible  until  you  can  get  a  better  book.  You  won't  want  to 
stand  up  before  God  and  say  :  '  Lord,  I  was  not  saved  because  I 
did  not  understand  the  Bible.'  Others  excuse  themselves  on  the 
plea  that  there  are  so  many  hypocrites  in  the  Church  and  they 
don't  like  such  company.  Now,  I  admit  that  there  have  always 
been  hypocrites  in  the  Church,  but  is  that  a  good  excuse  1  If 
every  man  on  the  face  of  the  earth  is  a  black-hearted  hypocrite, 
is  that  any  reason  why  you  should  be  ?  But  if  you  don't  like 
hypocrites  you  had  better  go  to  Christ,  for  not  one  of  them  shall 
sit  down  at  the  marriage-supper  of  the  Lamb.  Stay  away,  and 
you'll  go  with  the  hypocrites  through  eternity.  Again,  I  fancy 
that  there  is  one  in  the  audience  who  says,  'I  am  so  vile  that 
Christ  won't  receive  me.'  I  know  there  is  not  one  of  you  who 
can  show  me  a  place  in  the  Bible  where  it  says  any  one  is  so 
wicked  that  forgiveness  is  impossible.  There  is  not  a  mother  in 
the  congregation  who  would  not  forgive  a  wayward  child,  and 
there  is  not  a  sinner  in  this  assembly  who  cannot  obtain  forgive- 
ness of  the  Heavenly  Father."  Mr.  Moody  concluded  with  a 
touching  incident  in  his  own  experience,  relating  in  affecting 
tones  the  simple  story  of  a  brother  lost  for  years  and  years,  but 


656  MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 

at  last  found  and  clasped  in  a  forgiving  mother's  arms.  All  who 
desired  to  be  prayed  for  were  then  requested  to  rise,  and  about 
3,000  stood  up,  and  afterwards,  while  the  congregation  united  in 
singing  the  91st  hymn,  "There  is  a  fountain  filled  with  blood," 
passed  into  the  inquiry-rooms.  These  rooms  soon  became  filled, 
and  the  overflow  were  provided  with  seats  in  the  large  hall  on 
the  northwest  corner  of  the  building,  where  Mr.  Moody  himself 
prayed  and  talked  with  those  who  had  been  affected  by  the  ser- 
vices. 

The  Depot-Tabernacle  was  crowded  to  repletion  at  the  services 
held  in  the  evening,  and  the  most  encouraging  part  of  it  was  that 
the  11,000  persons  assembled  were  all  men.  It  has  frequently 
been  asserted  that  while  Mr.  Moody's  touching  prayers  and 
simple  addresses,  combined  with  Mr.  Sankey's  singing,  might 
easily  attract  large  audiences  of  ladies,  it  would  be  impossible  to 
fill- the  structure  with  representatives  of  the  masculine  gender. 
It  has  been  proved  by  Mr.  Moody,  beyond  doubt,  that  the  con- 
sciences of  men  can  be  easily  reached  by  honest,  earnest  endeavor, 
and  manly  argument,  when  showy  but  soulless  phrases  would 
hardly  penetrate  beyond  the  ear. 

Jesus,  lover  of  my  soul, 

was  sung  by  the  united  tones  of  at  least  ten  thousand  male  voices, 
led  by  the  clear  sopranos  of  the  choir,  with  an  effect  as  grandly 
beautiful  as  surprising.  Rev.  Dr.  McCook  then  offered  up  an 
opening  prayer,  beseeching  the  Father  to  hear  the  supplications 
of  his  servants  as  they  asked  for  mercy  and  forgiveness.  He 
prayed  that  His  Holy  Spirit  might  descend  and  fill  the  great 
multitude  as  in  the  days  of  Pentecost,  so  that  all  could  be  won 
in  sweet  and  holy  subjection  to  Jesus  Christ.  He  asked  for  faith 
to  lay  the  petition  from  all  before  the  Lord  in  the  name  of  Jesus  ; 
and  blessings  were  particularly  asked  for  those  who  were  seeking 
Jesus.  At  the  conclusion  of  the  prayer  Mr.  Sankey  took  his  seat 
at  the  organ,  and  with  marvellous  power  of  expression,  sung  the 
6th  hymn : 


THE    WORK    IN    PHILADELPHIA.  657 

There  were  ninety  and  nine  that  safely  lay 
In  the  shelter  of  the  fold. 

Mr.  Moody  then  called  attention  to  the  14th  chapter  of  Luke, 
beginning  at  the  i6th  verse.  After  the  parable  of  the  marriage- 
supper  had  been  read  Mr.  Sankey  sang  the  8ist  hymn : 

The  Lamb's  bright  hall  of  song, 
With  its  fair  glory, 
Beckons  thee  on. 
Ref. — Room,  room,  still  room, 
Enter  now. 

Day  is  declining  and  the  sun  is  low. 
The  shadows  lengthen, 
Light  makes  haste  to  go. 

The  refrain  was  sung  by  the  choir  in  the  softest  of  musical 
whispers,  having  the  effect  of  the  distant  melody  of  heavenly 
choristers.  Mr.  Moody  then  arose  and  repeated  the  sermon  of 
the  afternoon,  on  the  subject  of  the  "Supper  of  the  Lamb." 
While  the  leader  spoke  of  the  three  excuses,  and  showed  how 
absurd  they  all  were,  the  attention  of  the  vast  audience  became 
more  and  more  intense,  until,  as  he  began  to  exhort  his  hearers  to 
come  to  Christ,  to  forget  self  and  seek  the  forgiveness  of  a  loving 
Master,  the  vast  sea  of  faces,  as  if  by  some  irresistible  fascination, 
turned  fixedly  towards  the  speaker,  and  every  glance  became 
fastened  on  the  lips  from  which  Christ  crucified  was  preached. 
Then,  as  he  concluded  and  called  upon  those  who  desired  prayers 
to  stand  up,  several  hundred  strong  men  arose,  and  trembling 
with  emotion,  waited  with  bowed  heads  while  Mr.  Sankey  exqui- 
sitely sang  the  38th  hymn  : 

Come  home,  come  home. 

You  are  weary  at  heart ; 

For  the  way  has  been  dark, 

And  so  lonely  and  wild, 

O  prodigal  child  ! 
Come  home,  oh  !  come  home  ! 


658  MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN   AMERICA. 

As  the  echoes  of  the  song  of  invitation  died  away  Mr.  Moody 
lifted  up  his  hands  in  prayer,  saying:  "  Our  Heavenly  Father,  we 
thank  Thee  for  this  invitation  to  be  at  the  marriage-supper,  and 
we  pray  that  we  all  may  accept  it.  As  these  who  stand  up  pray 
to  God, '  Be  merciful  to  me,  a  sinner,'  may  Thy  Holy  Spirit  search 
them  out.  May  these  young  men  have  courage  given  them,  and 
let  them  not  be  ashamed  of  the  Word  of  God.  If  there  is  a 
prodigal  child  here,  oh !  help  the  wanderer  in  his  efforts  to  return." 
At  the  conclusion  of  the  prayer  over  1,000  men  accepted  the 
invitation  to  go  into  the  inquiry-rooms,  and  as  the  throng  were 
pressing  forward  the  vast  assemblage  sang  the  86th  hymn : 

Rock  of  Ages,  cleft  for  me. 

This  hymn  was  repeated,  and  with  each  stanza  hundreds  more 
arose  and  joined  the  throngs  pouring  into  the  rooms  where  the 
Christian  workers  waited  to  receive  and  comfort  them. 

Never  was  the  Gospel  Truth  presented  to  erring  man  with 
greater  force,  and  at  no  time  since  the  inauguration  of  the  meet- 
ings have  such  great  results  been  seen.  Hundreds  flocked  to  the 
inquiry-rooms,  all  anxious  to  know  more  of  the  love,  mercy,  and 
tenderness  of  the  Saviour,  and  very  many  more  left  for  their 
homes  for  the  first  time  giving  any  heed  to  the  warning  words  of 
Him  who  came  upon  earth  to  call  men  to  repentance,  and  who 
died  that  sinners  might  be  saved. 

At  the  Monday  morning  roll-call  Mr.  Moody  said  that,  as 
usual  on  Monday,  the  early  meeting  would  be  devoted  to  reports 
of  progress  from  all  sources.  He  began  by  reading  an  affecting 
letter  from  a  convert,  who  was  spoken  to  only  a  week  before.  In 
the  note  the  writer  said  he  had  not  been  in  church  ten  times  in 
as  many  years.  But  when  he  listened  to  the  sermon  his  heart 
broke,  and  returning  home,  after  being  spoken  to  by  Mr.  Moody, 
he  wept  for  his  sins,  and,  finally,  surrendered  unconditionally  to 
Jesus.  A  man  in  the  audience  next  arose,  and  told  of  two 
brothers  who  started  out  one  Saturday  morning,  became  intoxi- 
cated, and  continued  in  that  state  until  Sunday  afternoon,  when 


THE    WORK    IN    PHILADELPHIA. 


659 


their  mother  requested  prayers  for  her  wayward  boys.  Both 
afterwards  went  separately  and  accidentally  to  the  revival  meet- 
ings, and,  to  the  surprise  of  both,  they  met  each  other  in  the 
evening  converted  men.  Mr.  Cree  spoke  of  a  young  man  who, 
after  many  struggles,  rose  for  prayers,  and  was  finally  converted. 
Rev.  Mr.  Culver  spoke  of  the  work  at  the  Grace  Mission,  where 
fifty  persons  went  into  the  inquiry-room,  and  thirty  declared  they 
had  found  peace.  Many  more  cases  had^been  noted  in  the  con- 
gregation. A  clergyman  in  the  press-box  said  that  at  a  previous 
service  he  spoke  to  a  man  who  happened  to  be  seated  at  his  side. 
The  man  acknowledged  that  he  had  come  to  scoff.  He  went  to 
the  inquiry-room  and  was  converted.  Mr.  Sankey  referred  to 
three  men  who  had  spent  the  whole  of  the  morning  meeting  scoff- 
ing at  the  services,  but  who,  upon  being  spoken  to  in  a  kindly 
manner,  were  easily  led  into  the  inquiry-room  and  soon  afterwards 
led  to  the  foot  of  the  Cross.  A  number  of  clergymen  gave  the 
most  encouraging  accounts  of  the  progress  and  effect  of  the 
revival  in  their  churches.  Several  young  converts  present  related 
their  experiences  in  their  journey  from  darkness  to  light. 

A  young  man  m  the  back  part  of  the  audience  arose,  and  in  a 
trembling  voice  thanked  the  congregation  for  prayers  and  work 
which  had  helped  to  bring  him,  broken-hearted  and  repentant, 
to  the  foot  of  the  Cross. 

Rev.  Dr.  Newton  next  called  attention  to  the  total  absorption 
of  the  woman,  in  the  chapter  just  read,  to  the  will  of  God.  She 
had  a  submission  and  a  sublimity  of  confidence  which  all  Chris- 
tians should  endeavor  to  emulate.  When  she  was  asked  if 'all 
was  well,  she  answered,  though  she  knew  the  child  was  lying 
cold  and  lifeless  on  his  bed,  "  It  is  well."  "  Let  us,  too,  remem- 
ber," continued  the  speaker,  "that  even  if  our  prayers  should 
not  be  answered,  even  if  our  dearest  joys  should  be  stricken 
fi-om  our  lives,  we  should  be  able  to  say  '  It  is  well.'  The  great 
principle  of  this  movement  should  be  entire  submission  to  God 
and  unfaltering  confidence  in  his  love." 

Mr.  Geo.  H.  Stuart  next  arose  and  related  an  affecting  inci- 
dent of  a  man  who  came  into  the  inquiry-room  on  the  previous 


66o  MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 

night,  and  after  long  years  of  infidelity  at  last  was  able  to  return 
to  the  wife,  who  had  been  so  long  praying  for  him,  a  Christian 
man. 

Mr.  Sankey  also  spoke  of  two  cases  for  which  he  desired 
special  prayers :  One  was  a  man  who  came  to  him  night  before 
last  and  said  he  was  one  of  eleven  children,  and  all  had  become 
Christians  but  himself  He  said  he  had  once  come  to  the  meet- 
ing in  hopes  of  finding  Jesus,  but  could  not.  He  came  again  on 
Sunday,  "And  then,"  continued  the  man,  "when  I  heard  Mr. 
Moody  tell  of  that  little  child  beckoning  from  the  other  side  of 
the  dark  river  I  thought  my  heart  would  break,  for  I  had  lost  my 
only  child  only  three  weeks  before.  Oh  !  cannot  you  help  me  ?  " 
"  I  prayed  with  him  there  on  the  street  where  we  met,"  added 
Mr.  Sankey,  "  and  he  went  home  with  a  changed  heart."  Another 
case  mentioned  was  that  of  a  young  girl  who  was  converted  on 
the  previous  evening  and  afterwards  informed  Mr.  Sankey  that 
she  was  the  niece  of  an  eminent  clergyman  in  Belfast,  Ireland, 
with  whom  the  speaker  had  long  been  acquainted.  "  I  told  her 
to  write  to  him  at  once,"  said  the  speaker,  "  and  to  tell  the  uncle 
who  had  so  often  prayed  for  her  while  he  has.  been  carrying  on 
the  good  work  that  his  loved  one  had  found  Jesus  clear  across 
the  sea." 

Love  to  Christ  will  enable  us  to  make  sacrifices  for  him  with- 
out feeling  it  to  be  a  hardship.  In  illustration  of  this,  Mr. 
Moody  related  a  touching  story  of  the  wife  of  an  Indian  mis- 
sionary giving  up  her  children  to  the  care  of  Christian  friends  in 
this  country  so  as  to  go  back  to  the  mission  field  where  her  own 
and  her  husband's  labors  had  been  before  greatly  blessed,  and 
saying,  just  before  she  parted  from  them,  "I  want  to  say  good- 
bye without  a  tear,  for  I  would  not  like  my  children  to  think  that 
it  cost  me  tears  to  serve  Christ."  Then  besides  working  from 
love,  let  us  also  put  ourselves  in  sympathy  with  the  people  we 
want  to  influence  for  good.  A  man  who  had  just  come  out  of 
the  penitentiary  and  had  no  friends,  was  won  and  his  hard  heart 
broken  by  just  the  kiss  of  my  little  girl.  Let  us  put  ourselves  in 
the  place  of  those  who  are  in  trouble  and  distress ;  get  in  sympathy 


THE    WORK    IN    PHILADELPHIA.  66 1 

with  them  ;  then  tne  Lord  will  bless  our  efforts.  We  must  have  a 
heart  to  weep  with  those  who  weep.  I  heard  a  beautiful  story  told 
by  Mr.  Mingins,  in  New  York.  He  said  a  lady  came  into  the 
office  of  the  City  Mission  and  wanted  a  few  tracts.  She  didn't 
feel  as  if  she  could  do  very  much  of  active  work  for  the  Lord, 
but  felt  like  giving  away  a  few  tracts.  One  day  she  saw  a  police- 
man taking  a  poor  drunken  woman  to  jail,  a  miserable  object, 
ragged,  dirty,  with  hair  disordered,  but  the  lady's  heart  went  out 
in  sympathy  toward  her.  She  found  the  woman  after  she  came 
out  of  jail,  and  just  went  and  folded  her  arms  around  her,  and 
kissed  her.  The  woman  exclaimed,  "  My  God,  what  did  you  do 
that  for  ? "  and  she  replied,  "  I  don't  know,  but  I  think  Jesus 
sent  me  to  do  it."  The  woman  said,  "Oh,  don't  kiss  me  any 
more,  you'll  break  my  heart.  Why,  nobody  hasn't  kissed  me 
since  my  mother  died."  But  that  kiss  brought  the  woman  to  the 
feet  of  the  Saviour,  and  for  the  last  three  years  she  has  been 
living  a  godly,  Christian  life,  won  to  God  by  a  kiss. 

There  were  those  who  were  affected  to  tears,  so  pathetic  and 
yet  so  strikingly  truthful  were  the  words  of  the  revivalist.  All 
who  heard  him  could  not  but  have  been  convinced  that  the 
speaker  was  in  earnest,  and  that  he  felt  that  the  obligation  that 
rested  upon  him  was  so  great  that  unless  he  presented  the  truth 
in  a  manner  not  to  be  mistaken  or  misunderstood  he  would  be 
coming  short  of  his  duty.  The  meeting  was  beyond  question  the 
most  effective  yet  held,  and  showed  the  great  power  possessed 
by  the  evangelist.  The  singing  of  Mr.  Sankey  was  in  keeping 
with  the  preaching  by  his  co-laborer,  and  very  many  were  visibly 
affected  by  it.  A  spirit  that  can  scarcely  be  understood  and  may 
be  ascribed  to  the  Most  High  seemed  to  pervade  the  place. 

At  a  meeting  presided  over  by  Mr.  Wannamaker,  he  said: 
"These  are  golden  days  for  Philadelphia.  But  a  little  while  and 
we  were  all  under  a  shadow.  The  traveller  who  has  been  to  Inter- 
lachen  will  remember  a  feeling  coming  over  him  as  of  some  impend- 
ing shadow  of  gloom.  It  was  in  some  such  shadow  that  we  were 
iuntil  now,  like  a  mantle  covering  us  come  these  days  of  bright- 
jiess.     To-night  let  this  vast  congregation  join   in  the  solemn 


662  MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 

prayer,  he  continued,  to  the  Lord  for  the  great  and  glorious  work 
that  is  now  progressing  amongst  us."     The  hymn, 

Rejoice  and  be  glad  !     The  Redeemer  has  come, 
Go  look  on  His  cross  and  His  tomb, 

was  sung  in  such  a  beautiful  and  touching  manner  that  an  old 
gentleman  sprang  up  at  its  conclusion  from  his  seat  in  the  plat- 
form and  exclaimed  :  "  I  have  frequently  heard  it  said  that  Jesus 
loved  a  musical  heart  more  than  a  musical  voice.  If  that  is  so  I 
can  tell  you  that  here  we  have  learnt  how  both  can  be  united  ? " 
The  old  gentleman's  remark  appeared  to  intensify  the  quiet  feel- 
ing felt  by  every  one  present  as  the  musical  sounds  in  waves  of 
melody  rolled  along  the  peaked  roof  of  the  immense  structure. 
Mr.  Wannamaker  at  this  moment  requested  the  choir  to  sing 

I  am  so  glad  that  our  Father  in  Heaven. 

"  I  want  to  utter  a  word  of  thanksgiving,"  said  Mr.  Sankey,  "  for 
having  been  permitted  to  witness  in  this  dear  land  this  glorious 
spectacle.  Often  in  the  British  islands  have  Mr.  Moody  and  I 
wondered,  and  hoped  and  prayed  that  we  might  be  able  to  spread 
the  old  story  amongst  you  all.  When  your  chairman  came  to  us 
in  England  and  told  us  that  a  wave  of  prayer  was  going  through 
this  city,  we  were  encouraged.  We  now  praise  the  Lord  in  our 
hearts  that  we  have  come,  and  that  our  efforts  have  been  benefi- 
cial in  their  results. 

A  gentleman  arose  and  said  that  although  he  had  attended 
every  communion  in  his  church  for  the  last  thirty-two  years,  he 
never  knew  what  it  was  to  carry  Christ  in  his  heart  until  two 
weeks  ago.  A  city  missionary,  who  has  been  holding  meetings 
along  the  wharves,  said  that  within  the  last  week  he  had  been 
more  than  ever  successful.  Degraded  men  and  women  had 
fallen  on  their  faces  before  the  Throne  and  cried  for  mercy,  and 
every  day  the  good  fruits  of  the  present  revival  were  becoming 
more  and  more  manifest,  even  among  the  outcasts  who  would 
never  enter  a  church  or  any  building  where  Christian  .  people 


THE    WORK    IN    PHILADELPHIA.  663 

would  be  willing  to  congregate.  Mr.  Wannamaker  acknowledged 
that  in  all  his  experience  he  had  never  seen  so  encouraging  a 
revival  among  the  young  men.  Every  service  had  been  crowded, 
and  there  never  had  been  sufficient  time  to  accommodate  all  who 
desired  to  speak  or  pray.  "  This  depot,"  continued  the  speaker, 
"  may  be  from  this  day  forth  the  starting-point  of  many  trains  to 
heaven.  Only  keep  on  praying,  and  before  spring  comes  to  us 
again  five  thousand  young  men  will  welcome  it  as  Christians." 

Said  a  gentleman  :  "  Among  the  most  conspicuous  persons  at 
the  Rink  in  Brooklyn  was  a  man  of  over  fifty  years,  by  profession 
a  reporter,  apparently  of  the  sensational  sort.  Entering  into 
conversation  with  him  the  second  evening,  we  found  him  partly 
intoxicated,  ribald,  sneering,  and  professing  infidel  principles. 
Inquiring  further  concerning  him,  we  found  that  he  had  been 
several  times  in  the  city  jail,  for  misdemeanors  committed  while 
under  the  influence  of  liquor,  although  originally  a  man  of  culture 
and  polish. 

"  Time  passed,  and  at  one  Friday  evening  meeting  the  same 
man,  conspicuous  by  his  commanding  figure,  sat  in  a  back  seat 
at  the  Simpson  Church.  I  accosted  him  once  more,  and  this 
was  the  answer : 

"  '  I  am  waiting  to  thank  Mr.  Moody,  who  under  God  has  been 
the  greatest  blessing  of  life  to  me.  I  have  given  up  my  engage- 
ment, the  temptations  of  which  are  such  as  no  Christian  can  face. 
And  1  am  a  Christian,  a  new  creature — not  reformed,  you  can't 
reform  a  drunkard ;  I  tried  that  a  hundred  times — but  regen- 
erated, born  again  by  the  grace  and  power  of  God.  I  have 
reported  sermons  many  a  time,  simply  to  ridicule  them,  but  never 
had  the  least  idea  what  true  religion  meant  till  I  heard  Mr. 
Moody's  address  on  "Love  and  Sympathy"  ten  days  ago,  and  I 
would  not  have  believed  there  could  be  so  much  sweetness  in  a 
lifetime  as  had  been  condensed  into  those  ten  days.  My  chil- 
dren know  the  change ;  my  wife  knows  it ;  I  have  set  up  the 
family  altar,  and  the  appetite  for  liquor  has  been  so  utterly  taken 
away,  that  I  only  loathe  what  I  used  to  love.'  " 

The  most  interesting  part  of  the  meeting  was  the  story  told  by 


664  MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 

Mrs.  Keen,  of  the  way  in  which  she  was  led,  when  19  years  of 
age,  to  give  herself  entirely  to  God ;  of  how  many  times  she  felt 
that  she  must  give  up  everything  to  God  before  she  could  work 
for  him,  and  how  at  a  ladies'  meeting  she  was  afraid  to  rise  and 
say  that  she  would  give  up  her  will  to  God  because  the  ladies 
would  say  she  was  such  a  young  giddy  girl.  It  would  be  all  gone 
to-morrow,  "  and,"  said  Mrs.  Keen,  "  they  did  say  so.  But  I  felt 
from  that  hour  a  different  being.  That  it  was  all  between  God 
and  myself,  and  it  mattered  not  if  I  was  thought  singular,  so  long 
as  I  had  this  sweet  feeling  of  rest  and  peace  in  my  own  soul. 
The  thought  came.  Can  I  give  my  will  to  Him  ?  but  I  said,  Lord, 
I  take  Thy  will  to  be  mine,  so  mine  must  be  Thine." 

At  the  close  of  the  morning  service  an  inquiry-meeting  was 
opened  in  Rev.  Dr.  McCook's  church,  and  was  continued  all  the 
afternoon.  The  attendance  at  this  meeting  was  very  large  and 
the  converts  many. 

Mr.  Moody  arose  and  said  :  "  I  will  open  the  meeting  with  a 
very  few  remarks  about  the  inquiry-room.  We  have  a  great  deal 
of  trouble  with  people  coming  into  the  inquiry-room  on  outside 
business.  One  man  pressed  past  the  ushers  yesterday  and  wanted 
to  shake  hands  with  me  just  because  I  was  born  in  New  England  ; 
another  wanted  to  see  me  because  I  once  lived  in  Chicago  ;  others 
want  to  present  requests  for  friends ;  others  want  to  talk  on  all 
sorts  of  subjects,  and  because  I  cannot  attend  to  them  think  I 
am  very  rude.  Now  I  don't  want  that  impression  to  get  abroad, 
and  therefore  ask  all  who  desire  to  talk  with  me  on  purely  per- 
sonal or  general  subjects,  to  try  and  find  some  other  time  for 
seeing  me."  The  leader  next  read  from  the  5th  chapter  of  Ro- 
mans, beginning  at  the  7th  verse.  Continuing,  he  said  in  all 
cases  where  persons  had  been  blessed  in  the  Bible  they  were 
asked  to  go  home  and  tell  their  friends,  and  when  they  did  this, 
either  then  or  now,  many  more  souls  were  at  once  led  to  Christ. 
He  hoped  that  all  young  converts  would  confess  Christ  before 
the  world,  and  thus  be  the  means  of  leading  hundreds  and  thou- 
sands of  souls  to  the  Saviour. 

"  After  a  man  is  a  Christian  I  would  work  him  day  and  night. 


THE    WORK    IN    PHILADELPHIA.  665 

I  believe  that  for  one  man  killed  by  over-work  in  the  cause  of 
Christ  ten  thousand  die  from  laziness." 

Mr.  Moody,  at  the  conclusion  of  his  address,  read  a  letter 
which  he  had  just  received  from  Manchester,  in  which  a  lady 
stated  that  all  on  behalf  of  whom  she  had  requested  prayer 
during  the  services  in  that  city  had  been  converted,  except  one, 
her  brother,  who  had  left  his  wife  and  family  after  bringing  dis- 
grace upon  the  family,  and  whose  misconduct  was  breaking  his 
father's  heart.  "  This  is  really  a  story  of  grace,"  said  Mr.  Moody ; 
"  for  this  lady  says  in  her  letter :  '  If  he  would  but  come  home 
there  will  be  no  reproach.  Nothing  but  love.'  Perhaps  this 
man  may  have  wandered  in  here  this  afternoon,  or  he  may  be  in 
this  country.  Let  us  pray  that  he  may  be  brought  back,  and  that 
his  family  may  rejoice  over  the  return  of  the  wanderer. 

After  preaching  his  famous  discourses  on  Heaven,  Mr.  Moody 
turned  the  tide  of  men's  thoughts  very  sharply,  and  preached  on 
"  Hell,"  taking  as  his  text  two  words  from  the  parable  of  Dives 
and  Lazarus,  "  Son,  remember."  "I  can  well  imagine,"  said  he, 
"that  if  you  had  known  what  I  was  to  preach  about  to-night 
many  would  have  staid  away ;  but  I  cannot  afford  to  have  it  said 
that  I  held  services  in  Philadelphia  for  four  weeks  and  never 
once  spoke  about  hell.  '  Son,  remember.'  These  are  the  words 
of  the  Lord  himself.  If  any  one  of  you  has  a  servant,  and  you 
send  him  with  a  message,  if  he  keeps  back  a  part  of  your  mes- 
sage because  he  thinks  it  too  harsh  you  would  dismiss  that  ser- 
vant at  once.  I  must  deliver  the  message  that  the  Lord  has 
given  me  as  I  find  it;  and  if  you  have  any  quarrel  about  these 
words  it  must  be  with  God  and  not  with  me.  The  thought  that 
we  take  memory  with  us  into  the  other  world  is  very  solemn. 
We  talk  about  forgetting  things,  but  the  fact  is  we  never  forget. 
Twice  I  have  been  very  near  to  death ;  and  all  my  past  life  came 
rushing  back  upon  me ;  everything  that  I  had  done  crowded 
upon  my  memory.  My  whole  life  came  up  before  me,  tramp, 
tramp,  tramp.  When  God  says,  '  Son,  remember,'  all  the  past 
will  be  recalled.  We  talk  about  God's  book  of  record  ;  but  we 
will  need  no  one  to  tell  us  what  we  have  done,  for  He  makes 


666  MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 

every  man  keep  his  record.  Talk  about  God  condemning  us ; 
why,  we  shall  condemn  ourselves  ;  we  won't  want  any  one  to 
condemn  us.  Memory  will  come  up  against  us,  and  there  will  be 
no  need  of  any  witnesses  to  prove  our  guilt. 

"A  man  who  had  charge  of  a  swing-bridge  opened  it  just  to 
oblige  a  friend  who  said  there  was  plenty  of  time  for  his  boat  to 
pass  through  before  the  train  of  cars  came  along.  But  a  moment 
after  the  lightning  express  came  thundering  on  and  dashed  into  the 
dark  waters  below.  The  bridge-keeper,  whose  neglect  had  caused 
the  disaster,  lost  his  reason,  and  his  life  since  has  been  spent  in 
a  mad-house.  The  first  and  only  words  he  uttered  when  the 
train  leaped  into  the  open  chasm  were  :  '  If  I  only  had  ! '  and  he 
has  gone  constantly  repeating  the  vain  regret.  That  will  be  the 
cry  in  the  lost  world,  '  If  I  only  had  ! '  That  is  the  cry  of  men 
who  were  living  in  Philadelphia  a  year  ago.  Ask  the  man  in 
prison  what  it  is  that  makes  his  life  so  wearisome,  and  he  will 
tell  you,  '  Memory,  memory.'  And  in  the  prison-house  of  hell 
it  is  memory  that  makes  the  place  so  awful — to  think  what  they 
might  have  been  if  they  had  but  accepted  Christ  when  He  was 
offered  to  them.  A  young  man  met  the  deacon  of  a  church  one 
Sabbath  morning  and  asked  him  the  terrible  question:  'How 
far  is  it  to  Hell?'  'Young  man,'  was  the  reply, 'don't  mock 
such  a  serious  reality,  you  may  be  nearer  to  hell  than  you  think.' 
They  had  only  just  turned  the  corner  of  the  road,  and  ridden  a 
few  yards,  when  his  horse  threw  him  and  he  was  picked  up  dead. 
Some  of  you  went  out  of  this  building  last  night  laughing  and 
making  merry ;  you  mocked  at  the  idea  of  heaven,  and  when  its 
joys  were  offered  you,  you  kicked  them  away  like  a  foot-ball ;  but 
the  time  will  come  when  you  will  remember  that  service.  Some 
may  go  out  to-night  and  drown  the  memory  of  this  text  in  drink, 
but  it  will  come  up  in  the  other  world  and  then  you  can't  drown 
it  in  drink.  No  doubt  all  the  six  thousand  years  Cain  has  re- 
membered the  terrible  sin  he  committed,  and  has  heard  the 
voice  of  that  loving  brother  whom  he  murdered.  Has  Judas 
ever  forgotten  how  he  betrayed  the  Son  of  God  with  a  kiss? 
How  that  word  has  gnawed  away  at  his  conscience  these  eighteen 


THE    WORK    IN    PHILADELPHIA.  667 

hundred  years !  I  tell  you  there  is  coming  a  time  when  you 
can't  forget.  Memory  is  the  worm  that  dieth  not.  It  is  the  same 
Bible  which  speaks  of  heaven  that  tells  us  of  hell.  There  is  no 
place  in  heaven  for  unprepared  men — for  those  who  are  unre- 
deemed. Besides,  what  are  such  men  going  to  do  if  they  get 
there  ?  Do  you  think  that  these  rumsellers,  who  are  destroying 
so  many  souls,  bodies  too,  as  well  as  souls,  and  making  so  many 
widows  and  orphans — are  they  going  to  heaven  without  repenting 
and  turning  to  God  for  salvation  ?  Or  these  men  that  are  cursing 
and  blaspheming  God — can  they  join  in  the  songs  of  heaven  ? 
Your  own  reason  tells  you  no.  Now  mercy  and  salvation  are 
offered,  but  in  the  lost  world  there  will  be  no  '  Jesus  passing  by,' 
no  praying  mother,  no  praying  wife  there  ;  they  will  be  in  another 
world,  and  between  these  is  a  great  gulf  fixed.  Remember,  you 
have  got  a  praying  wife  to-night,  perhaps  she  is  sitting  by  your 
side.  You  can  be  saved  to-night.  God  offers  you  salvation  and 
mercy,  and  warns  you,  and  pleads  with  you  to  be  saved. 

"  It  is  but  one  step  out  of  yourself  into  Christ.  Perhaps  a 
loved  minister  has  been  pleading  with  you  for  many  years — there 
will  be  no  ministers  there.  You  may  laugh  and  scoff  at  these 
meetings — but  there  will  be  no  special  meetings  in  hell.  And 
this  service  to-night  will  come  to  you  by-and-by ;  you  will  remem- 
ber how  the  preacher  plead  with  you  from  this  pulpit,  and  how 
Mr.  Sankey  sang.  There  will  be  no  young  .man  there  putting 
his  hand  on  your  shoulder  and  asking  you  to  be  saved  ;  no  Sab- 
bath-school teacher  to  lead  you  to  Christ.  Why  not  say  now,  'I 
will  turn  to  the  God  of  my  mother;  I  will  this  night  seek  salva- 
tion,' for  God  says :  '  Then  shall  ye  find  me,  when  ye  shall  search 
for  me  with  all  your  heart.' 

"  I  have  heard  people  say,  '  These  meetings  make  men  worse 
instead  of  better.'  That  is  true — no  one  can  pass  through  these 
special  meetings  without  becoming  either  better  or  worse.  When 
people  have  been  stricken  down  by  your  side,  and  you  still  go  on 
living  in  sin,  you  will  soon  get  more  and  more  hardened.  The 
sermons  that  now  move  you  will  make  no  impression." 

Mr.  Moody  related  an  incident  of  a  man  in  Chicago  who  twice 


668  MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 

determined  to  give  his  heart  to  God,  but  never  had  the  courage 
to  acknowledge  Christ  before  his  ungodly  companions.  When 
recovering  from  a  long  sickness,  he  still  refused  to  come  out 
boldly  on  the  side  of  Christ,  saying :  "  Not  yet,  I  have  got  a 
fresh  lease  of  life.  I  can't  be  a  Christian  in  Chicago.  I  am 
going  to  take  a  farm  in  Michigan,  and  then  I  will  profess  Christ." 
"I  asked  him,"  said  Mr.  Moody,  "How  dare  you  take  the  risk? " 
He  said,  "I  will  risk  it;  don't  you  trouble  yourself  any  more 
about  my  soul,  Mr.  Moody.  I  have  made  up  my  mind."  I 
never  left  a  man  with  a  sadder  heart  in  my  life.  The  very  next 
week  he  was  stricken  down  with  the  same  disease.  His  wife 
sent  for  me,  and  she  said,  "  He  don't  want  to  see  you,  but  I  can't 
bear  that  he  should  die  in  such  an  awful  state  of  mind.  He 
says,  "  My  damnation  is  sealed,  and  I  shall  be  in  hell  in  a  week." 
I  tried  to  talk  and  pray  with  him,  but  it  was  no  use ;  he  said  his 
heart  was  as  hard  as  a  stone.  "  Pray  for  my  wife  and  my  chil- 
dren, but  don't  waste  your  time  praying  for  me."  His  last  words 
were :  "  The  harvest  is  past,  the  summer  is  ended,  and  I  am  not 
saved,"  and  then  the  angels  bore  him  away  to  judgment. 

Dr.  J.  Wheaton  Smith  offered  the  closing  prayer,  and  from  two 
to  three  hundred  persons  entered  the  inquiry-rooms,  while  the 
congregation  sang:  "Jesus,  lover  of  my  soul."  The  number  of 
workers  in  the  inquir3^-rooms  is  gradually  increasing ;  frequently 
upwards  of  forty  clergymen,  with  many  other  Christian  men  and 
women,  were  engaged  in  conversation  with  those  who  are  anxious 
to  find  salvation. 

Prayer  for  the  intemperate  was  again  the  theme  of  the  noon- 
day meeting,  as  on  the  two  previous  Fridays.  There  were  not 
less  than  five  thousand  persons  in  attendance.  Mr.  Moody  said 
he  would  again  call  attention  to  the  new  birth.  "  I  don't  know," 
said  he,  "  of  any  other  refuge  for  a  man  addicted  to  strong  drink. 
Unless  Christ  give  him  a  new  nature,  all  his  good  resolutions  and 
his  efforts  to  reform  himself  will  be  of  no  avail.  You  can't  find 
anything  in  Scripture  which  will  justify  a  man  in  the  belief  that 
he  can  reform  the  flesh.  It  is  only  when  the  new  life  is  given 
by  God  that  he  can  resist  temptation.     Flesh  is  flesh,  and  you 


THE    WORK    IN    PHILADELPHIA.  669 

cannot  improve  it.  Some  one  has  said,  '  God  never  mends  any- 
thing; He  creates  anew."  It  is  of  no  use  to  go  and  tell  a  man 
he  ought  to  reform ;  just  tell  him  to  give  up  trying  and  accept 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  as  his  Saviour.  God  does  not  put  a  new 
piece  into  an  old  garment.  When  God  saves  a  drunkard  He 
takes  away  all  the  appetite.  Then  a  man  does  not  have  to  give 
up  the  drink ;  he  does  not  want  it  any  more,  has  no  desire  for  it. 
Why  I  would  just  as  soon  go  and  eat  mud  as  go  into  a  saloon 
and  drink.     I  have  got  something  better. 

"  Some  say,  '  Oh,  but  I  want  something  as  a  stimulant.'  Sup- 
pose you  da,  you  can  get  better  stimulants  than  drink.  When 
the  Spirit  of  God  fills  a  man's  heart,  and  he  gets  thorough  ac- 
quaintance with  his  Bible,  he  has  the  best  kind  of  stimulant. 
God  wants  every  poor  drunkard  to  become  a  partaker  of  the 
divine  nature.  Of  course  the  natural  man  don't  know  what -we 
are  talking  about ;  we  must  be  born  of  God  before  we  receive 
spiritual  strength ;  with  God's  life  in  us  we  shall  overcome.  A 
man  who  has  been  intemperate  for  thirty  years,  and  who  would 
drink  five  glasses  before  breakfast,  has  just  been  reclaimed ;  he 
says  that  all  the  appetite  has  been  taken  away.  God  can  do  this 
for  every  poor  drunkard  in  Philadelphia,  and  he  has  done  it  for 
many  during  the  last  week  or  two." 

Mr.  Moody  then  read  a  letter  from  an  inquirer  who,  while  try- 
ing to  do  right,  knew  his  love  for  Christ  was  not  the  motive.  He 
had  come  to  a  meeting  hoping  some  word  might  be  spoken  which 
would  help  him  to  decide  die  question.  What  should  he  do  to  be 
saved  ?  Mr.  Moody  continued :  "  It  is  better  to  have  love  for 
Christ  than  to  lead  a  blameless  life  without  love.  Now,  the  sub- 
ject for  to-day  will  be  backsliding;  but  I  wish  to  say,  first,  that 
very  few  who  call  themselves  backsliders  ever  slid  forward  ;  they 
entered  the  church  for  some  personal,  social,  political,  or  business 
reasons,  and  when  they  left  it  they  were  no  worse  than  when  they 
went  in.  Now,  I  want  to  speak  to  those  who  have  really  once 
been  born  of  God.  Such  men  may  have  slid  backwards,  but 
they  are  never  satisfied,  for  any  man  who  was  once  converted 
finds  the  world  spoiled  for  him.     In  the  2d  chapter  of  Jeremiah 


• 


670  MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 

you  will  find  the  question,  *  What  iniquity  have  your  fathers  found 
in  me  ? '  What  iniquity  have  you  found  in  God  that  you  should 
leave  Him?  That's  what  the  question  means.  A  backslider 
don't  leave  a  congregation  or  a  people  ;  he  leaves  God.  In  the 
19th  verse  you  will  find  the  words,  'Thine  own  wickedness  shall 
correct  thee,  and  thy  backslidings  shall  reprove  thee.'  Do  not 
think  God  can  let  such  faults  escape.  The  backsliders  are  the 
unhappiest  mortals  on  the  face  of  the  earth.  They  seem  to  think 
it's  a  very  light  thing  to  break  God's  law,  but  God  will  punish 
them.  God  says  to  the  backslider,  '  I  am  married  to  you ;  I  am 
merciful ;  but  only  acknowledge  your  sins  and  I  will  forgive  you. 
Turn,  O  backsliding  children  !  saith  the  Lord,  for  I  am  married 
unto  you.'  What  words  can  be  mote  beautiful  than  these  ?  Why 
is  it  that  these  men  have  left  such  a  Father  ?  If  you  will  only 
come  back  now  you  will  have  a  warm  welcome.  But  I  believe 
many  backsliders  are  still  Christians  outwardly,  but  they  have 
been  moving  away  in  heart.  They  neglect  secret  prayer  and 
become  very  formal  in  public  devotion.  Now,  one  very  great 
comfort  is  to  treat  Christ  and  think  of  Christ  as  a  personal  friend. 
If  I  should  go  from  here  to  Chicago,  I  should  bid  good-bye  to 
my  friends  here  before  I  started ;  but  did  you  ever  hear  of  a 
Christian  going  to  Christ  and  saying :  '  Oh,  Christ !  you  have 
been  a  dear  friend  to  me,  but  I  must  bid  you  good-bye  now.  I 
am  going  away  from  you,  and  never  expect  to  call  again.  Good- 
bye, for  I  am  going  back  to  the  world?'  Did  you  ever  hear  of 
any  one  backsliding  in  that  way?  I  never  did.  You  do  not 
bid  farewell  to  Christ ;  you  just  run  away  from  him  without  say- 
ing a  word.  All  you  need  do  now  is  to  come  back,  and  Christ 
will  receive  you." 

Sunday,  the  coldest  day  of  the  winter,  seemed  most  forbidding 
for  an  early  service.  Nevertheless,  at  the  eight  o'clock  service 
a  congregation  of  seven  thousand  gathered  to  listen  to  Mr. 
Moody's  address  on  "Daniel."  Anticipation  of  a  rich  feast 
seemed  written  on  many  faces,  for  a  goodly  number  had  heard  of 
the  remarkable  impression  made  by  the  delivery  of  this  address 
in  Brooklyn  and  in  the  cities  across  the  Atlantic.     Mr.  Moody 


THE    WORK    IN    PHILADELPHIA.  67 1 

had  an  audience  more  sympathetic  and  thoroughly  earnest  than 
perhaps  any  that  has  gathered  on  previous  Sunday  mornings. 
All  had  gathered  expecting  to  obtain  a  blessing  and  to  learn 
some  great  lessons  from  the  life  of  one  of  the  greatest  Bible 
characters ;  and  we  venture  to  say  no  one  went  away  disap- 
pointed. The  meeting  had  been  advertised  as  specially  for 
young  men,  and  probably  three-fourths  of  those  present  were  of 
that  class.  The  address  was  a  rapid  review  of  the  life  of  Daniel ; 
and  great  emphasis  was  laid  upon  the  fact  that  at  the  age  of 
seventeen  he  and  his  companions,  Shadrach,  Meshach,  and  Abed- 
nego  were  not  afraid  to  come  boldly  as  God's  servants.  When 
ordered  to  eat  meat  and  drink  wine  from  the  king's  table,  which 
had  been  offered  to  idols,  and  therefore  was  forbidden  to  the 
Jews,  they  refused.  That  is  often  the  turning-point  in  a  young 
man's  history  to  be  able  to  say  "  No,"  when  the  first  temptation 
of  city  life  is  presented  to  him.  During  an  address  which 
lasted  three-quarters  of  an  hour  the  most  wrapt  attention  was 
given  throughout. 

Mr.  Moody  spoke  in  the  afternoon  in  continuation  of  his  last 
Sabbath  afternoon's  subject,  which  was  on  the  text,  "  I  pray  thee, 
have  me  excused."  Many  people,  he  said,  made  the  doctrine  of 
election  an  excuse  why  they  cannot  accept  salvation.  He  be- 
lieved that  the  world  had  nothing  to  do  with  that  word  election ; 
it  was  only  intended  for  the  church,  not  for  the  unconverted  ;  the 
only  word  that  the  unconverted  have  to  do  with  is  "whosoever;" 
Christ  settled  the  question  by  telling  John  to  write,  "  Whosoever 
will,  let  him  come  and  drink  of  the  water  of  life  freely."  "  Do 
you  think  that  God  offers  the  cup  of  salvation  to  all  men,  and 
then,  just  as  you  are  going  to  drink,  he  snatches  it  away, 
and  says,  'Oh,  but  you  are  not  one  of  the  elect?'  God  doesn't 
do  anything  of  the  kind.  Some  young  people  say  that  religion 
is  going  to  make  them  gloomy,  and  they  want  to  enjoy  life  before 
they  accept  salvation.  Who  told  you  that  lie  ?  Pardon  for  the 
condemned,  bread  for  the  hungry,  a  feast  in  the  wilderness — are 
these  likely  to  make  men  gloomy  ?  None  are  too  young,  and  a 
marriage  feast  is  just  the  thing  likely  to  make  the  young  happy. 


672  MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 

Some  people  stumble  over  their  intellect,  and  say  they  can't 
understand  religion.  There  are  hundreds  of  things  we  believe 
that  we  cannot  understand.  Many  parts  of  the  Bible  I  don't 
understand ;  but  I  am  not  going  to  fight  against  my  Lord  with 
my  puny  reason. 

"That  excuse  will  not  serve  us  on  the  last  day.  We  can't  say 
then  that  we  didn't  come  because  God  gave  us  too  much  reason 
and  intellect.  Some  make  the  excuse  that  they  are  too  bad. 
We  preach  a  Gospel  for  the  very  worst ;  but  you  can't  clothe 
yourselves  with  your  own  righteousness ;  you  must  have  the 
righteousness  of  Christ.  Many  think  they  must  prepare  them- 
selves. God  wants  you  just  as  you  are  in  all  your  guilt  and  rags. 
If  you  come  as  princes  He  sends  you  away  as  beggars ;  if  you 
come  as  beggars  He  sends  you  away  as  princes.  Just  because 
our  hearts  are  so  bad  is  the  reason  we  need  a  Saviour ;  the 
harder  the  heart,  the  more  need  you  have  of  Christ.  Nobody 
tells  us  we  must  weep  over  our  sins  so  many  hours ;  it  ain't 
necessary  to  shed  tears  to  get  into  the  kingdom  of  God.  Feeling 
is  the  last  plank  the  devil  throws  out  just  when  a  man  is  almost 
ready  to  step  on  the  Rock  of  Ages.  All  you  have  to  do  is  to 
believe — not  believe  yourselves,  but  believe  in  Christ.  You 
can't  give  a  reason  for  not  accepting  the  invitation.  All  your 
excuses  are  a  tissue  of  lies.  Do  you  say  you  have  not  time  ? 
Make  time.  Say,  as  a  lady  did  last  week,  '  I  won't  leave  this 
room  until  I  have  found  salvation  ; '  and  she  went  out  soon  after 
rejoicing  in  sins  pardoned." 

At  the  close  of  the  sermon  no  less  than  five  hundred  rose  for 
prayer,  and  a  very  solemn  feeling  was  prevalent  throughout  the 
vast  assembly. 

In  the  evening  the  same  sermon  was  preached  by  Mr.  Moody 
to  a  crowded  audience,  of  which  the  greater  portion  were  men. 

The  afternoon  service  was  the  most  effective  in  results  of  any 
that  has  yet  been  held.  Three  inquiry-rooms  were  thronged. 
Those  who  sought  religious  conversation  were  for  the  most  part 
such  as  were  evidently  under  divine  influence.  It  not  unfrequently 
happens  that  persons  embrace  the  invitation  to  the  inquiry  room 


THE    WORK    IN    PHILADELPHIA.  673 

just  for  the  pur^DOse  of  airing  their  rehgious  crotchets,  or  seeking 
the  evangelist's  opinion  upon  some  pecuUar  tenet  to  which  they 
may  be  attached.  Some  are  anxious  to  have  an  argumentative 
encounter  on  a  doctrinal  pointj  or  an  intellectual  set-to  as  to  the 
reasonableness  of  some  plain  statement  of  Scripture.  All  such 
receive  the  cold  shoulder  from  both  Mr.  Moody  and  Mr.  Sankey, 
as  well  as  from  most  of  their  fellow-workers ;  and  the  cavilers 
and  questioners  are  beginning  to  learn  that  the  inquiry-room  is 
no  place  for  them  unless  they  come  prepared  humbly  and  honestly 
to  seek  direction  from  the  Holy  Spirit  through  conversation  with 
Christian  men  and  women. 

Rev.  Dr.  C.  D.  Cooper  said :  "  Probably  no  man  has  ever 
addressed  a  more  distinguished  congregation  in  this  city  than 
that  to  which  Mr.  Moody  preached  last  night.  While  we  are 
asking  blessings  for  others,  do  not  let  us  forget  to  pray  that  the 
words  spoken  in  the  ears  of  the  President,  his  Cabinet,  the 
Judges  of  the  Supreme  Court,  and  many  members  of  the  Con- 
gress of  the  United  States,  might  prove  to  each  one  of  them 
words  of  salvation.  What  an  influence  would  go  out  through  the 
distant  parts  of  our  beloved  land  if  truth  and  righteousness 
should  prevail  in  the  hearts  of  all  who  fill  important  offices  at 
the  seat  of  government." 

Rev.  J.  Wheaton  Smith  then  prayed  very  fervently  for  the  dis- 
tinguished men  who  were  in  the  congregation  last  evening.  "  We 
pray,"  said  he,  "for  the  Chief  Magistrate  of  these  United  States. 
We  thank  Thee,  O  God,  for  what  Thou  hast  wrought  by  him  in 
the  past,  and  for  the  honor  given  him  amongst  men !  We  pray 
for  a  still  greater  glory  to  rest  upon  him — the  crown  of  a  forgiven 
sinner.  Help  him  to  feel  in  the  discharge  of  his  important  duties 
that  there  is  a  duty  which  he  owes  to  himself  in  regard  to  his 
own  salvation." 

The  occasion  of  these  remarks  and  this  prayer  was  this :  A 
large  party  of  gentlemen  from  Washington,  who  were  invited  to 
visit  and  inspect  the  Centennial  preparations,  took  occasion  to 
hear  the  evangelists,  and  on  Sunday  evening,  the  19th,  the  follow- 
ing distinguished  persons  were  upon   the  platform :    President 


674  MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 

Grant ;  Hon.  Geoi^ge  M.  Robeson,  Secretary  of  the  Navy ;  ex- 
Gov.  Jewell,  Pastmaster-General ;  ex-Secretary  Borie ;  Hon. 
George  Bancroft ;  Judge  Strong,  of  the  United  States  Supreme 
Court;  Governor  Hartranft;  ex-Governor  Joel  Parker,  of  New 
Jersey ;  ex-Governor  Bigler ;  Hon.  Thomas  A.  Scott ;  Col.  Fred. 
Grant  and  lady ;  Bishop  Simpson,  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church;  Judge  Buell,  of  New  York ;  ex-Speaker  Blaine;  Hon. 
Morton  McMichael ;  General  Patterson  ;  General  Garfield ;  Sen- 
ator Christiancy,  of  Michigan  ;  Senator  Wallace  and  wife  ;  ex- 
Senator  Cattell ;  Congressmen  Wets,  of  Mississippi ;  Thompson, 
of  Massachusetts ;  Purham,  of  Florida ;  Judge  Pierce  ;  Messrs. 
George  H.  Stuart,  G.  W.  Childs,  and  John  C.  Bulli. 

When  these  prominent  and  well-known  men  appeared  on  the 
platform  there  was  quite  a  commotion  in  the  congregation,  and 
many  evinced  a  disposition  to  applaud. 

Bishop  Simpson  made  ^le  opening  prayer,  and  pleaded  very 
earnestly  for  a  blessing  upon  the  President  and  his  Cabinet,  for 
the  Governors  of  States,  and  all  in  authority. 

It  was  with  great  difficulty  that  Mr.  Moody  preached  on  Sun- 
day night.  He  had  contracted  a  severe  cold,  and  the  exertion 
of  speaking  during  the  early  Servians  of  the  day,  and  conversing 
with  the  inquirers  for  an  hour  besides,  had  rendered  him  very 
hoarse.  As  he  warmed  up  in  his  discourse,  however,  his  voice 
became,  for  the  time  at  least,  stronger  and  clearer,  and  he  spoke 
with  almost  his  wonted  earnestness — at  fully  his  usual  rapidity. 
Governor  Hartranft,  on  leaving  the  building,  said  that  he  had 
heard  so  much  of  Mr.  Moody's  power  to  influence  a  great  pop- 
ular assembly,  that  he  had  in  advance  formed  a  very  high  esti- 
mate of  his  ability  as  a  public  speaker.  After  listening  to  him 
he  had  come  to  the  conclusion  that  all  his  friends  had  told  him  of 
Mr.  Moody  was  by  no  means  exaggerated. 

President  Grant  expressed  himself  as  greatly  pleased  with  the 
entire  service,  being  especially  gratified  with  the  singing  of  Mr. 
Sankey.  Ex-Speaker  Blaine  thought  Mr.  Moody  was  a  wonder- 
ful man,  and  others  of  the  distinguished  visitors  who  occupied 
se-ats  on  the  platform  expressed  themselves  in  similar  terms  of 
gratification. 


THE    WORK    IN    PHILADELPHIA.  675 

During  the  progress  of  the  revival,  the  question  often  recurs 
as  to  the  results  achieved  by  such  vast  expenditures  and  labors.. 
These  are  well  summed  up  in  the  following  paragraphs : 

Thousands  of  men  and  women  gather  every  day  in  the  week 
out  of  the  busy  masses  of  this  great  city  to  hear  the  gospel  of 
Christ  preached  in  simplicity  and  directness.  Very  many  of 
these  hearers  are  not  in  the  habit  of  church  attendance.  They 
are  told  plainly  of  their  need  of  salvation,  and  urged  to  yield 
themselves  to  the  service  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  Many  others  of 
them  are  professed  followers  of  Christ,  who  have  been  cold  and  in- 
active in  his  service.  They  are  called  on  to  be  up  and  doing  for  their 
Master,  and  are  told  just  how  and  where  to  work  for  Him. 
Each  day  hundreds  of  the  unconverted  from  among  these  hearers 
ask  the  prayers  of  Christians  in  their  behalf,  and  enter  the  in- 
quiry-rooms for  personal  conversation  with  God's  children  as  to 
their  needs  and  duty.  Many  of  the  church  members  also  are 
beginning  Christian  work  with  new  zeal  and  new  efficiency. 
Many  of  those  who  have  not  been  avowed  disciples  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  declare  their  readiness  to  trust  and  serve  Him  heartily. 
Moreover,  hundreds  of  requests  from  those  outside  come  up 
daily  for  special  prayer,  and  on  these  calls  God's  children  plead 
with  Him  for  answers  of  peace  accordingly.  There  are  meetings 
for  particular  classes  from  time  to  time.  Christian  workers  are 
appealed  to  as  such.  Sunday-school  teachers  receive  special 
instruction.  The  unconverted  are  invited  and  addressed  by 
themselves.  Young  men  are  brought  together  and  counseled 
religiously.  Drunkards  are  talked  to  plainly  and  prayed  for 
earnestly.  Women  and  men  meet  by  themselves,  and  sermons 
are  preached  for  their  exclusive  benefit. 

All  this  in  itself  is  a  great  matter.  No  ordinary  curiosity 
would  bring  together  such  audiences  day  after  day  for  weeks  to- 
gether. Mr.  Moody  is  now  well  known,  and  most  who  cared 
merely  to  see  and  hear  him  have  been  gratified.  His  style  of 
preaching  is  so  simple  that  many  who  hear  him  wonder  at  its 
power ;  but  there  is  no  diminishing  of  the  crowds  in  attendance 
week  by  week.      No  undue  excitement  gathers  and  holds  these 


676  MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 

hearers.  All  is  quiet  and  calm  at  the  meetings.  The  preacher 
makes  no  effort  to  sway  his  audiences  by  strong  appeals  to  their 
passions.  The  choice  he  sets  before  them  is  simply  that  which 
the  gospel  offers  wherever  it  is  faithfully  proclaimed.  The  in- 
terest in  the  meetings  is  a  healthy  interest  in  the  cause  and 
truth  which  they  represent.  The  fact  that  it  is  exceptional — or 
unusual — only  makes  it  the  more  important.  Men  of  marked 
influence  in  the  community,  who  have  been  known  in  almost 
every  sphere  but  that  of  personal  religion,  are  from  time  to  time 
seen  in  attendance  at  these  meetings,  on  the  platform  or  in  the 
body  of  the  house.  Even  if  they  come  from  curiosity  alone, 
there  is  reason  for  rejoicing  that  they  are  at  last  curious  in  this 
direction.  It  is  well  for  them  to  turn  aside  from  their  usual 
occupations  and  hear  the  gospel  preached.  If  many  who  are 
accustomed  to  follow  their  lead  in  other  things  imitate  them  in 
this,  there  will  be  a  gain  thereby.  It  is  a  good  thing  to  have  it 
fashionable  for  sinners  to  listen  to  straightforward  earnest  appeals 
to  repent  and  be  converted. 

The  record  of  these  meetings  is  given  day  by  day  in  the  daily 
papers.  The  words  of  the  preacher  are  repeated  by  the  press 
throughout  the  country,  so  that  hundreds  of  thousands  have  the 
gospel  preached  to  them  morning  and  evening  from  one  week's 
end  to  another,  through  this  agency  alone.  Editorial  comments 
in  the  secular  papers  on  this  theme  are  frequent  and  pointed. 
Indeed,  both  Christians  and  the  unconverted  have  been  wisely 
counseled  and  cautioned  by  many  a  secular  paper  "leader." 
This  in  addition  to  all  that  the  religious  papers  have  to  say  on 
the  same  important  subject;  and  it  can  hardly  be  doubted  that 
the  tone  of  the  religious  press  as  a  whole  has  been  elevated  and 
bettered  through  the  influences  of  which  these  meetings  are  an 
outgrowth.  It  can  safely  be  asserted  that  never  before  was  so 
much  prominence  given  by  the  secular  press  of  the  United  States 
to  religious  matters  and  to  the  direct  presentation  of  Christian 
truth.  The  revival  of  1858  bore  no  comparison  with  the  present 
revival  in  this  particular. 

In  the  churches  of  Philadelphia  there  is  more  than  a  common 


THE    WORK    IN    PHILADELPHIA.  677 

interest  in  Christ  and  his  salvation.  This  is  true  ahnost  without 
exception,  even  if  in  any  instance  the  jDastor  himself  fails  as  yet 
to  perceive  it ;  for  the  churches  are  not  so  shut  out  from  the  pre- 
vaihng  current  of  popular  feeling  that  they  can  be  excluded  from 
an  influence  as  general  as  that  which  now  jDcrvades  this  com- 
munity. Those  pastors  who  participate  most  heartily  in  the 
special  revival  meetings  naturally  share  most  richly  in  the 
attendant  blessings ;  yet  all  have  new  opportunities  of  hopeful 
work  in  their  fields  of  church  labor.  If  there  is  no  considerable 
gain  in  any  of  these  churches,  it  will  not  be  because  there  is  no 
special  interest  in  religious  things  in  that  church  and  in  the  com- 
munity about  it.  On  all  sides  unsaved  men  and  women  are  unusu- 
ally ready  to  be  conversed  with,  prayed  for,  taken  by  the  hand  and 
led  to  a  waiting  Saviour.  All  who  make  the  experiment  of  intro- 
ducing the  subject  of  personal  religion,  in  conversation  with  those 
whom  they  meet  in  business  or  in  social  intercourse,  find  signs  of 
this  peculiar  readiness — one  of  the  most  hopeful  signs  in  any 
season  of  revival. 

These  results  are  in  themselves  great  results.  If  they  are  to 
be  counted  unimportant,  then  may  also  the  ordinary  jDrcaching  of 
the  gospel  in  our  sanctuaries,  and  the  attendance  thereat  of 
Christians  and  of  unconverted  hearers,  be  looked  at  as  of  little 
worth,  because  so  few  new  converts  are  made  each  week,  so  little 
progress'  is  marked  in  Christian  attainment,  and  so  many  days  of 
attention  to  the  world  and  its  interests  follow  each  day  of  pausing 
to  consider  the  things  of  God.  The  beginning  is  good.  "  The 
end  is  not  yet."  How  much  more  is  to  come  out  of  this  revival 
work  cannot  now  be  known.  Up  to  this  time  there  is  every  rea- 
son to  rejoice  in  what  God  is  accomplishing  through  this  agency. 

A  weighty  responsibility  rests  now  in  the  churches,  and  on  all 
Christian  workers  in  this  city,  and  elsewhere  as  widely  as  the 
knowledge  of  these  revival  meetings  extends.  God  is  doing  great 
things  before  us  all.  He  has  called  the  attention  of  the  com- 
munity to  the  theme  of  personal  religion.  Multitudes  who  were 
thoughtless  on  this  subject  a  little  time  ago  are  now  thinking 
about  it  earnestly.    They  are  easy  of  approach.    They  would  like 


678  MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 

to  be  talked  with.  They  are  not  yet  ready  to  go  to  any  pastor's 
study  and  ask  the  way  of  salvation  ;  not  yet,  perhaps,  to  go  into 
the  inquiry-rooms  at  the  Depot  Church.  But  they  are  thinking 
of  themselves  as  sinners  in  need  of  a  Saviour,  and  the  one  thing 
lacking  to  turn  their  steps  thitherward  may  be  a  word  from  a 
Christian  believer  of  their  acquaintance.  If  this  harvest  time 
passes  and  they  are  still  unsaved,  others  than  Mr.  Moody  and  his 
immediate  co-workers  in  the  present  series  of  meetings  will  have 
a  share  in  the  blame.  Systematic,  earnest,  untiring  work  on  the 
part  of  Christians  far  and  near,  in  the  line  of  direct,  personal  vis- 
itation and  appeal,  to  induce  those  who  are  now  without  a  trust 
in  Christ  as  their  Saviour  to  come  to  Him  in  penitence  and  faith, 
is  the  urgent  demand  of  the  hour.  "  Son  of  man,  I  have  made 
thee  a  watchman  unto  the  house  of  Israel ;  therefore  hear  the 
word  at  my  mouth,  and  give  them  warning  from  me.  When  I 
say  unto  the  wicked.  Thou  shalt  surely  die  ;  and  thou  givest  him 
not  warning,  nor  speakest  to  warn  the  wicked  from  his  wicked 
way,  to  save  his  life ;  the  same  wicked  man  shall  die  in  his  in- 
iquity ;  but  his  blood  will  I  require  at  thine  hand." 

Mr.  Moody  says  truly,  that  the  test  of  a  revival  is  the  prominence 
it  gives  to  Bible  study,  the  power  it  has  in  turning  men  to  the  exam- 
ination of  God's  Word,  that  they  may  learn  therefrom  of  their 
danger,  their  need,  their  duties,  their  encouragements,  their 
helps,  and  their  hopes.  From  the  days  of  Nehemiah  down  to 
the  present  time,  every  true  revival  of  pure  religion  has  shown 
itself  in  a  new  interest  in  God's  law  and  testimonies  on  the  part 
of  leaders  and  people. 

Hence  it  is  that  the  present  great  revival  is  a  blessed  and  hope- 
ful revival  ;  for  it  secures  a  prominence  to  God's  Word  beyond 
anything  which  has  been  known  since  "  all  the  people  "  of  the 
Jewish  nation  "gathered  themselves  together  as  one  man  into 
the  street,"  to  hear  and  study  "  the  book  of  the  law  of  God," 
"  day  by  day,  from  the  first  day  unto  the  last  day  "  of  the  jDro- 
tracted  meeting  which  followed  their  return  from  captivity. 

Never  in  the  best  days  of  olden  time  was  there  anything  like 
the  present  interest  in  Bible-study,  in  the  home,  in  the  Sunday- 


THE    WORK    IN    PHILADELPHIA,        •  679 

school,  in  the  social  religious  meeting.  More  people  are  study- 
ing the  Bible  than  ever  before.  A  larger  proportion  of  all  the 
people  are  engaged  in  this  study.  The  study  is  more  systematic, 
more  intelligent,  more  thorough,  and  more  fruitful  than  at  any 
former  time.  This  interest  in  Bible-study  is  not  by  any  means 
exclusively  a  result  of  the  meetings  led  by  Mr.  Moody.  It  is  a 
result  of  the  work  of  God  in  which  the  Moody  meetings  are  a  sin- 
gle element,  and  of  which  they  are  an  evidence  rather  than  a 
cause.  But  Mr.  Moody  works  in  the  line  of  God's  providence 
in  this  particular.  He  values  Bible-study.  He  urges  it  on  all. 
He  leads  many  to  it.  Through  his  labors  and  appeal  Bible- 
study  increases,  and  its  methods  improve. 

It  was  a  remarkable  and  a  most  gratifying  fact,  that  at  the  early 
morning  meeting  last  Sunday,  at  the  D£pot  Church,  on  a  dark, 
damp,  chilly  day,  from  six  to  eight  thousand  persons  came 
together  expressly  to  be  told  how  to  study  the  Bible  to  best 
advantage.  Mr.  Moody  said  that  he  counted  it  the  most  encour- 
aging meeting  he  had  ever  attended  in  America.  If  he  had  been 
told  five  years  ago  that  that  number  of  persons  would  come 
together  for  such  a  purpose,  on  such  a  day,  in  the  city  of  Phila- 
delphia, he  would  have  said*  that  the  man  was  crazy  who  sug- 
gested it.  A  very  large  proportion  of  all  present  at  that  meeting 
had  their  Bibles,  and  used  them  freely,  and  very  many  in  the  audi- 
ence were  taking  notes  freely,  as  Mr.  Moody  told  of  the  methods 
he  valued  in  the  effort  to  search  out,  and  to  profit  by,  the  truths 
of  the  Bible.  It  was  pleasant  to  hear  that  building  "  rustle  wi' 
religion,'*  as"  the  thousands  of  Bible  leaves  were  turned  together 
at  the  leader's  call. 

If  Mr.  Moody's  work  in  Philadelphia  had  no  other  result  than 
the  bringing  of  disciples,  old  and  new,  to  the  more  intelligent 
and  systematic  study  of  the  Bible,  it  would  prove  a  rich  blessing 
to  the  entire  community.  The  entrance  of  God's  words  giveth 
light ;  it  giveth  understanding  to  the  simple.  God's  words  are 
able  to  make  wise  unto  salvation,  through  faith  which  is  in  Christ 
Jesus.  The  believer  is  to  be  sanctified  by  God's  truth.  God'3 
Word  is  truth. 


68o  MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 

How  TO  Use  your  Bible. 

I  have  been  wonderfully  cheered,  said  Mr.  Moody,  in  going  to 
the  young  men's  meeting,  to  hear  so  much  scripture  quoted. 
Any  revival  that  don't  bring  people  to  their  Bible  is  a  sham,  and 
will  last  only  for  a  few  weeks  j  but  if  the  people  are  brought  to 
love  the  Word  of  God,  there  will  be  a  revival  that  will  last  365 
days  in  the  year. 

In  Nehemiah  viii.  2,  we  read  that  Ezra,  the  priest,  brought  the 
law  before  the  congregation  both  of  men  and  women  in  the  street, 
and  he  read  therein  from  morning  until  midday;  and  in  the 
eighth  verse,  it  is  said,  "  they  read  in  the  book  in  the  law  of  God 
distinctly,  and  gave  the  sense,  and  caused  them  to  understand 
the  reading."  I  can  imagine  the  priest  reading  the  passage 
over  twenty  times  until  the  people  understood  it.  Bible  Chris- 
tians are  all  the  time  rejoicing  in  the  Lord,  for  the  Lord  is  their 
strength,  but  the  people  who  neglect  their  Bibles  are  in  a  back- 
sliding state. 

Mr.  Moody  quoted  Jeremiah  xx.  9,  to  show  that  Christian  men 
are  constrained  to  open  their  lips  and  speak\for  the  Lord.  He 
said :  If  the  Holy  Ghost  is  our  Teacher,  we  will  understand  the 
Word  of  God.  The  best  thing  to  interpret  the  Bible  is  the  Bible 
itself. 

There  are  three  books  every  Christian  ought  to  have.  The 
Bible,  Cruden's  Concordance,  and  the  "  Bible  Text-Book,"  pub- 
lished by  the  Tract  Society. 

Newspapers  only  tell  you  what  has  taken  place  ;  this  book  tells 
you  what  is  going  to  take  place.  Take  up  one  subject  at  a  time. 
Take  up  "  love,"  and  spend  a  month  upon  it.  Take  a  concordance 
and  go  through  the  Bible  with  it  upon  this  subject,  and  then  you 
will  be  full  of  love,  and  there  will  be  no  room  for  malice  and 
hatred  in  your  heart.  After  that  take  up  "  faith  ; "  it  is  better  to 
go  to  the  Word  of  God  and  get  faith  than  to  pray  for  it.  Then 
take  up  "blood;"  it  shows  the  way  to  heaven.  Now  take  up 
"heaven,"  and  spend  months  upon  it.  Then  "prayer."  We 
do  not  know  how  to  pray  as  we  ought  to.    Nine-tenths  of  us  read 


THE    WORK    IN    PHILADELPHIA.  68 1 

the  Bible  just  to  ease  our  conscience.  You  do  not  get  the  whole 
Bible  by  reading  it  in  that  way.  In  family  worship  people  often 
put  a  mark  in  their  Bible  to  know  where  they  left  off.  I  hoed 
corn  when  a  boy,  and  I  used  to  put  down  a  stick  to  know  where 
I  left  off;  so  it  is  with  reading  the  Bible.  The  only  way  for  us 
to  study  the  Bible  is  to  take  up  one  subject  and  try  to  master  that 
subject.  A  man  said  to  me,  "  Can  you  recommend  the  best  Life 
of  Christ .? "  I  said  I  could  recommend  four — Matthew,  Mark, 
Luke,  and  John.  A  man  had  better  spend  a  year  over  these  four 
Gospels  than  to  run  over  the  whole  Bible.  If  a  man  studies  Gen- 
esis he  has  a  key  to  the  whole  Bible.  It  is  the  beginning  of 
everything,  and  then  the  other  parts  of  the  Bible  will  unfold 
themselves  to  us.  Let  us  take  the  Bible  up  with  some  object  in 
view — to  get  at  some  truth.  In  California  the  best  gold  is  found 
at  the  greatest  depth;  and  so  with  the  Word  of  God,  the  best 
part  is  deepest.  Here  is  some  law  document ;  it  is  uninteresting. 
Now  suppose  it  is  the  will  of  some  man,  giving  you  a  great  inher- 
itance, you  will  become  interested.  This  Book  tells  me  of  this 
inheritance.  What  can  the  geologist  tell  you  about  the  Rock  of 
Ages  ?  He  can  tell  you  about  the  rocks  of  this  world.  What 
does  the  astronomer  know  about  the  bright  and  morning  star? 
He  can  tell  you  about  other  stars.  God  did  not  tell  Joshua  how 
to  use  the  sword  and  fight  in  the  promised  land,  but  he  told  him 
to  meditate  upon  the  law  day  and  night,  and  no  one  could  stand 
before  him.  These  words  apply  to  every  one  here.  This  sword 
cuts  right  and  left,  and  with  it  a  man  can  cut  his  enemies  right 
up  to  the  throne  of  God. 

A  man  filled  with  the  Spirit  dwells  much  with  the  Scripture.  Pe- 
ter quoted  Scripture  at  the  day  of  Pentecost,  when  he  was  full  of 
the  Holy  Ghost.  This  is  the  sword  of  tlie  Spirit.  What  is  a  man 
good  for  if  he  has  no  weapon  ?  We  don't  know  how  to  use  this 
sword ;  we  should  get  into  the  habit  of  using  it.  David  says  : 
"Thy  Word  have  I  hid  in  my  heart."  A  good  thing  in  a  good 
place  for  a  good  purpose.  If  you  lose  your  health,  you  lie  upon 
your  bed  and  feed  upon  the  Word  of  God. 

When  you  meet  together  to  dine  it  is  better  to  bring  out  the 


682  MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 

Bible  than  to  bring  on  wine.  I  was  glad  in  England  at  seeing 
that  done  in  a  great  many  of  the  houses  of  the  upper  classes.  An 
Englishman  said  to  me,  "  Moody,  did  you  ever  study  the  life  of 
Job  ?  "  I  said,  "  No,  I  never  did."  He  said,  "  If  you  get  a  key 
to  Job  you  get  a  key  to  the  whole  Bible."  "What  has  Job  to  do 
with  the  Bible?"  He  said:  "I  will  tell  you.  I  will  divide  th^ 
subject  into  seven  heads.  First,  Job,  before  he  was  tried,  was  a 
perfect  man  untried.  He  was  like  Adam  in  Eden  until  Satan 
came  in.  Second,  he  was  tried  by  adversity.  Third,  the  wisdom 
of  the  world  is  represented  by  Job's  friends  trying  to  restore  him. 
See  what  language  they  used.  They  were  wonderful  wise  men, 
but  they  could  not  help  Job  out  of  his  difficulties.  Men  are  mis- 
erable comforters  when  they  do  not  understand  the  grace  of  God. 
Job  could  stand  his  scolding  wife  and  his  boils  better  than  these 
men's  arguments ;  they  made  him  worse  instead  of  better.  Fifth, 
God  speaks,  and  Job  humbles  himself  in  the  dust.  God,  before 
He  saves  a  man,  brings  him  down  into  the  dust.  He  does  not 
talk  about  how  he  has  fed  the  hungry  and  clothed  the  naked,  but 
he  says,  '  I  am  vile.'  Seventh,  God  restores  him,  and  the  last 
end  of  Job  was  better  than  the  first.  So  the  last  state  of  man  is 
better  than  the  first.  It  is  better  than  the  state  of  Adam,  because 
Adam  might  have  lived  ten  thousand  years  and  then  fallen; 
therefore  it  is  better  for  us  to  be  outside  of  Eden  with  Christ  than 
that  we  should  be  in  Eden  without  Him.  God  gave  Job  double 
as  much  wealth  as  he  had  before,  but  He  only  gave  him  ten  chil- 
dren. He  had  ten  before  his  calamity  came  upon  him.  That  is 
worthy  of  notice.  God  w^ould  not  admit  that  Job  had  lost  any 
children.     He  gave  him  ten  here  and  ten  in  heaven. 

We  want  the  Word  of  God  so  hidden  in  our  hearts  that  we  will 
be  constrained  to  speak  of  Him.  Many  flinty  hearts  and  scoffers 
have  come  to  the  meetings,  but  before  they  left  they  have  been 
converted  to  God.  A  man  while  in  a  saloon  picked  up  a  news- 
paper containing  a  report  of  one  of  the  meetings,  the  first  line  of 
which  was,  "  Where  art  thou  ? "  The  man  was  struck  with  it,  and 
said  to  himself,  "  I  am  not  in  the  right  place,"  and  left.  He  came 
to  the  meetings  and  was  converted,  and  is  now,  said  the  speaker. 


THE    WORK    IN    PHILADELPHIA. 


683 


leading  a  Christian  life.  We  must  take  the  Bible  without  preju- 
dice, and  not  as  Methodists,  Baptists,  Presbyterians,  or  Episco- 
palians. He  advised  all  to  have  a  Bible  which  they  could  call 
their  own,  and  to  get  the  best  that  could  be  procured.  It  might 
be  said  that  it  cost  too  much  money ;  but  so  much  the  better,  it 
would  be  valued  all  the  more,  and  would  stand  usage  longer.  He 
had  carried  the  Bible  he  now  used  to  CaMfornia  and  to  Europe 
and  back,  and  nothing  would  induce  him  to  part  with  it.  It  had 
been  a  great  comfort  to  him,  and  he  had  found  much  pleasure  iu 
it.  It  might  be  argued  that  the  kind  he  recommended  is  too 
large  for  a  man  to  put  in  his  pocket.  Then  carry  it  under  your 
arm  ;  you  should  always  be  vSfiing  to  show  your  colors.  In  study- 
ing it,  it  would  be  well  to  have  a  copy  of  Cruden's  Concordance 
and  a  Scriptural  text-book.  These  three  books  make  a  very  good 
library.  There  is  no  better  book  to  study  the  Bible  with  than  the 
Bible  itself.  It  is  the  best  news-book  that  there  is.  The  news- 
paper only  tells  of  the  news  of  the  day,  while  the'  Sacred  Volume 
tells  of  what  will  take  place.  The  Book  should  be  taken  up  topic- 
ally ;  that  is,  take  "  love  "  as  a  topic,  and  see  how  much  the  Bible 
has  to  say  upon  that  subject.  By  that  means  you  learn  all  about 
it,  and  can  readily  answer  any  question  that  may  arise  upon  that 
subject.  After  that  the  word  "blood"  can  be  taken  up,  in  order 
to  find  out  how  often  that  word  occurs  in  the  blessed  Book,  and 
how  it  is  used.  So  other  tepics  might  be  studied,  such  as  "  Faith," 
"  Heaven,"  "  Charity,"  and  very  many  others.  By  this  means  a 
very  good  knowledge  will  be  obtained  of  the  Bible,  Those  who 
do  it  in  that  manner  will  be  surprised  at  the  amount  of  informa- 
tion that  they  obtain  and  the  interest  they  will  take  in  it.  The 
Book  will  become  very  precious  to  them,  and  they  will  never  want 
to  be  without  it.  A  man  once  asked  the  speaker  what  was  the 
best  life  of  Christ.  He  replied  that  he  did  not  know.  Matthew 
wrote  a  very  good  account,  so  did  Mark  and  Luke,  but  the  speaker 
liked  John's  account  the  best.  Some  people  read  the  Bible  as 
though  they  did  it  merely  to  ease  their  conscience.  They  take  it 
up,  perhaps,  and  read  a  chapter  without  reflection^  and  then  lay 
it  aside  with  a  mark  indicating  where  they  left  off,  just  as  they 


684  MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 

would  do  with  any  other  book.  If  you  ever  expect  to  understand 
the  Word  of  God  you  must  study  it ;  you  must,  as  it  were,  dig 
and  delve  through  it.  A  great  many  people  carry  the  Bible  in 
their  hands  instead  of  their  hearts.  The  speaker  then  illustrated 
how  the  Book  should  be  used.  He  said  that  if  he  were  to  go  and 
hear  Dr.  Newton  preach  a  sermon  he  would  turn  to  his  Bible, 
which  he  always  carries  with  him,  and  on  the  margin  mark  down 
some  of  the  heads  of  the  discourse,  with  the  date,  and  five  years 
after  these  heads  would  freshen  his  mind  upon  the  sermon.  He 
said  that  every  one  in  studying  the  Bible  should  make  notes  on 
the  margin  of  any  matter  bearing  upon  particular  passages.  It 
impresses  the  subject  upon  the  mind,  and  in  after  years,  if  the 
necessity  occur  for  a  recurrence  to  it,  an  explanation  can  be  given 
at  once.  The  speaker  gave  some  further  illustrations  showing  how 
he  had  impressed  sermons  upon  his  mind  at  the  time  of  their  de- 
livery by  making  notes  upon  the  margin  of  the  leaves  of  his  Bible, 
and  how  he  had  studied  up  the  subject. 

In  connection  with  these  valuable  instructions,  as  to  how  to 
study  God's  Word,  the  following  letter  from  Mr.  Moody  to  "  the 
recent  converts  in  Great  Britain  "  will  have  an  interest  to  many 
in  this  country ;  not  only  to  "  recent  converts,"  but  to  some  who 
have  long  been  counted  as  believers. 

Dear  Christian  Friends  :  Since  returning  to  America,  in 
response  to  my  invitation,  I  have  received  precious  communica- 
tions from  many  of  you.  Were  it  possible,  I  would  gladly  reply 
to  each ;  but,  as  I  have  not  opportunity  for  this,  I  shall  avail 
myself  of  the  columns  of  The  Christian  to  send  to  you  all  a  few 
words  of  greeting. 

I  praise  God  continually  for  what  he  has  done  for  you  in  saving 
your  souls  through  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  his  Son.  You  are 
much  on  my  heart,  and  in  my  prayers.  But  most  glad  am  I  to 
know,  that  when  I  cease  to  remember,  Jesus  himself  hears 
each  one  of  you  in  continual  remembrance  before  his  Father. 
You  are  graven  upon  the  palms  of  his  hands  (Isa.  xlix.  i6),  and 
written  upon  the  heart  of  his  affections  (Ex.  xxviii.  29) ;  and  of 


THE    WORK    IN    PHILADELPHIA.  685 

you  he  has  said,  "My  sheep  shall  never  perish,  neither  shall 
any  man  pluck  them  out  of  my  hand  "  (John  x.  28). 

You  have  taken  the  Lord  Jesus  for  your  Redeemer,  and  it  has 
become  eternal  salvation  unto  you.  Now,  Jesus  is  something 
more  to  you.  He  has  become  your  High-Priest.  His  great 
business  in  heaven  to-day  is  to  represent  you — your  needs,  your 
infirmities,  and  your  trials.  I  want  you  to  know  this  very  fully ; 
for  no  other  truth  can  give  you  more  daily  comfort,  or  more 
firmly  establish  you  in  a  constant  holy  walk.  Having  died  to 
save  you,  Jesus  lives  to  keep  you.  At  the  cross  he  washed  you 
from  the  condemnation  of  sin  ;  at  the  mercy-seat  he  will  cleanse 
you  from  daily  defilement. 

Some  of  you  have  written  me  how  old  besetting  sins  are  annoy- 
ing you.  Take  them  straight  to  Jesus.  Don't  rely  too  much  on 
yourselves  in  overcoming  them ;  don't  follow  human  advice  too 
much,  or  copy  the  example  of  other  people  too  much  in  gaining 
the  victory.  Spare  yourselves  this  weariness.  Cast  it  all 
before  your  blessed  Advocate,  and  let  him  bear  you  and  your 
burdens  too. 

And  do  not,  above  all,  forsake  your  Bibles.  You  can  never 
separate  Jesus  the  Word  made  flesh  from  the  written  Word.  He 
who  proclaimed  himself  the  IVay,  declared  also  that  he  was  tJie 
Truth.  Pack  your  memory  full  of  passages  of  Scripture,  with 
which  to  meet  Satan  when  he  comes  to  tempt  or  accuse  you  ;  and 
be  not  content  to  simply  know,  but  strive  to  obey  the  Word  of  God. 
Never  think  that  ycsus  has  commanded  a  trifle,  nor  dare  to  trifle 
with  a?iything  he  has  commanded. 

I  exhort  the  young  men  to  be  sober.  Exercise  yourselves  unto 
godliness ;  run  the  race  according  to  Paul's  motto,  "  Looking 
off  unto  Jesus  ";  draw  your  inspiration  and  power  directly  from 
himself. 

I  exhort  the  young  women  to  great  moderation.  Your  sphere 
of  testimony  may  not  be  public ;  your  place  of  usefulness  may 
not  be  large  ;  in  your  own  homes  "  adorn  the  doctrine  of  God 
your  Saviour."  Keep  one  little  thought  in  mind — "  I  have  none 
but  Jesus  to  please."     And  so  make  your  dress  as  simple  as  you 


6S6  MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 

know  will  please  your  Lord  ;  make  your  deportment  as  modest  as 
you  know  will  commend  itself  to  him. 

And  for  you  all,  "  among  whom  we  have  gone  laboring,"  our 
prayer  is,  "  That  your  love  may  abound  yet  more  and  more  in 
knowledge  and  in  all  judglnent ;  that  ye  may  approve  things 
that  are  excellent ;  that  ye  may  be  sincere,  and  without  offence, 
till  the  day  of  Christ,  being  filled  with  the  fruits  of  righteousness, 
which  are  by  Jesus  Christ,  unto  the  glory  and  praise  of  God  " 
(Phil.  i.  9,  lo,  ii).     Mr.  Sankey  joins  me  in  Christian  love. 

Your  brother  in  Christ,  D.  L.  Moody. 

Bj'ooklyn,  Nove?nber  12,  1875. 

Among  the  most  effective  presentations  of  truth  made  by  the 
evangelist  are  the  discourses  on  Noah.  Mr.  Moody  preached 
from  Genetsis,  chapter  vii.,  verse  i  :  "  And  the  Lord  said  unto 
Noah,  Come  thou  and  all  thy  house  into  the  ark."  He  said  it 
was  a  loving  invitation  from  a  personal  God.  This  communica- 
tion came  to  Noah,  that  God  would  destroy  the  world,  that  his 
Spirit  would  not  always  strive  with  man.  This  was  one  hundred 
and  twenty  years  before  the  flood  that  he  told  Noah  to  build  the 
ark.  Grace  always  precedes  judgment.  You  find  that  when 
Christ  came  into  the  world  He  came  in  grace,  and  then  judgment 
followed.  Mr.  Moody's  description  of  the  entry  of  the  animals 
into  the  ark  was  very  touching.  God  shut  the  door  of  the  ark. 
As  in  the  days  of  Noah,  so  shall  it  be  in  the  last  days.  He  told 
an  affecting  incident  of  a  mother  who  told  Mr.  Moody  that  her 
daughter  wanted  her  to  go  into  the  inquiry-room.  She  went  into 
the  room  with  her  daughter,  and  they  were  both  blessed.  He 
mentioned  a  young  woman  who  was  converted  at  Edinburgh,  and 
was  killed  by  an  accident  on  a  railroad.  At  the  conclusion  of  the 
sermon  some  five  hundred  rose  for  prayers.  This  was  one  of  the 
most  solemn  meetings  ever  held. 

In  his  second  sermon  he  said  :  Some  persons  say  that  they  do 
not  believe  that  there  was  a  flood,  and  others  say  that  they  be- 
lieve in  the  New  Testament,  but  cannot  accept  the  Old  Testa- 
ment.    It  won't  do  to  reject  any  portion  ;  for  if  you  do,  you  will 


THE    WORK    IN    PHILADELPHIA.  687 

have  to  reject  it  entirely.  The  speaker  said  that  he  firmly  be- 
lieved that  there  was  a  flood,  and  there  is  abundant  testimony  to 
prove  it.  He  was  not  present  to  defend  the  Bible,  for  it  defends 
itself.  He  had  a  message  to  deliver,  and  he  would  do  it  to  the 
best  of  his  ability.  He  then  went  on  to  describe  the  ark  built  by 
Noah,  and  said  that  the  old  man  was  ridiculed  and  made  fun  of, 
but  he  had  faith  in  God  and  obeyed  His  commands.  The  speaker 
had  been  hooted  at  after  leaving  the  meeting  in  the  afternoon, 
but  he  did  not  care  for  it,  for  he  knew  that  every  man  who  stands 
up  for  Christ  or  endeavors  to  serve  Him  must  expect  to  be 
jeered  at  and  ridiculed.  The  people  thought  Noah  mad  ;  but 
did  you  ever  notice  that  the  man  who  is  mad  thinks  everybody 
else  mad  ?  There  are  many  who  think  that  the  men  who  serve 
the  Lord  and  preach  his  word  are  mad.  What  about  the  man 
who  deals  out  death  and  damnation,  and  robs  his  fellow-men  of 
their  brains  and  money,  and  robs  their  families  of  support  ?  Is 
that  man  who  brings  about  so  much  wretchedness  insane  ?  Oh  ! 
no !  no  one  calls  him  insane.  The  man  who  goes  home  and 
beats  his  wife  and  cruelly  treats  his  children  is  not  called  mad. 
But  the  one  who  works  for  Christ  and  cares  for  his  family  is  mad. 
The  speaker  then  went  on  to  describe  the  gathering  together  of 
every  living  thing  in  the  ark,  the  closing  of  the  door  by  God,  and 
the  great  flood  that  followed,  which  lasted  forty  days  and  forty 
nights.  This  portion  of  the  discourse  was  the  same  as  that  given 
in  the  afternoon.  He  said  :  Thank  God  the  door  of  mercy  is  now 
open.  He  begged  all  who  would  be  wise,  while  God  is  offering 
mercy,  to  step  within  the  door  ere  it  be  too  late  and  the  door  is 
closed.  The  speaker  said  the  past  year  had  been  the  best  of  his 
life,  and  he  has  prayed  that  the  last  Sunday  of  the  year  would  be 
the  best  that  he  has  yet  experienced  by  the  conversion  of  hundreds 
and  thousands  of  souls.  When  God  shuts  the  door  it  will  be  too 
late — the  day  of  grace  will  have  passed.  The  last  day  and 
the  last  hour  is  coming,  and  don't  you  think  of  it  ?  Oh  !  it 
may  be  that  you  will  never  again  have  the  opportunity  of 
coming  to  Christ.  The  time  is  coming  again  when  God  will 
judge  the  world.      It  will  be  consumed,  as  the  Lord  has  said,  by 


CSS  MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 

fire.  "  Come  thou  and  all  thy  family  into  the  ark."  You  may 
go  away  from  the  hall  and  laugh  at  and  scorn  Christ.  Oh  !  but 
you  may  be  called  away  without  being  able  to  see  Him.  Come  to 
Him,  now  that  He  is  offered,  or  you  may  never  again  receive  the 
message.  In  1857  there  was  a  great  revival,  and  all  over  the 
country  peojDle  were  flocking  into  the  churches.  There  were  men 
who  then  tried  to  write  it  down,  but  it  was  of  no  avail.  The 
same  effort  is  being  made  to  write  it  down  now,  but  they  are  not 
able  to  do  so,  because  it  is  God's  work.  Oh,  men !  come  into  the 
ark  while  the  invitation  is  yet  being  made.  He  then  related  an 
incident  of  a  young  lady  who  attended  the  meeting  without  any 
concern  for  herself,  but  before  the  service  was  over  she  said  she 
would  be  in  the  ark  before  the  afternoon  was  over.  The  young 
lady  went  to  the  inquiry-room  and  there  sought  Jesus.  He  then 
related  another  incident  of  a  mother  and  daughter  who^  attended 
one  of  the  meetings  last  Monday  night.  The  latter  was  a  con- 
vert, but  the  other  was  not.  He  noticed  them,  and  talked  to  the 
mother.  Afterward  he  observed  the  two  in  close  conversation, 
and,  on  going  up  to  her,  she  said  that  she  had  not  been  induced 
to  come  to  Christ  by  anything  he  had  said,  but  through  what  her 
daughter  had  told  her.  He  inquired  how  many  fathers  present 
were  out  of  the  ark.  "  Oh !  "  said  he,  "  don't  stand  in  the  way 
of  your  children  ;  come  in  and  bring  your  whole  family,  before 
the  door  is  closed."  He  then  referred  to  a  man  who,  on  being 
converted,  told  how  he  had  treated  his  mother;  that  while  she 
was  praying  for  him,  he  left  home  because  he  could  not  stand  it. 
Finally  he  heard  that  his  mother  was  sick,  and  he  thought  that 
he  would  go  home,  but  he  again  thought  that  if  he  did,  he  would 
have  to  become  a  Christian  to  Hve  under  the  same  roof,  and  he 
decided  not  to  go.  Subsequently  he  heard  that  she  was  very 
sick,  and  he  started  for  home,  and  on  reaching  there  he  found 
that  his  mother  was  dead.  He  then  visited  her  grave,  and  he 
cried  to  God  for  help.  He  was  thus  left  without  father  and  mo- 
ther, and  he  then  cried  to  God  for  help  and  found  Christ.  The 
man  told  his  hearers  in  Chicago  that  he  would  give  all  in  the 
world  to  have   his   mother  and  father  back,  and  he  besought 


THE    WORK    IN    PHILADELPHIA.  689 

those  who  had  mothers  not  to  treat  them  unklntlly.  Said  Mr. 
Moody,  "Won't  you  now  come  in  the  ark  and  be  saved,  for  the 
door  may  be  closed  when  it  is  too  late  for  you  ?  "  An  in-vitation 
was  then  extended  to  all  who  desired  prayers  to  stand  up.  A 
large  number  of  men  responded  to  the  request. 

Ex-Mayor  Story  of  Boston  then  most  fervently  prayed  in  be- 
half of  those  who  had  risen. 

So  clear  and  unmistakable  is  the  plan  of  salvation  presented  that 
the  most  illiterate  can  readily  understand  it.  There  is  no  chance 
for  the  slightest  excuse ;  no  one  can  plead  ignorance  after  hear- 
ing the  warning  words  of  the  evangelists,  or  say  that  the  oppor- 
tunity was  not  offered  them  of  coming  to  the  Saviour.  Some  of 
the  most  remarkable  instances  of  conversion  have  taken  place, 
and  many  who  attended  the  meetings  with  no  thought  of  becom- 
ing Christians  have,  under  the  preaching  of  Mr.  Moody  and  the 
singing  of  Mr.  Sankey,  been  induced  to  enter  the  inquiry-rooms 
and  make  an  unconditional  surrender  of  their  hearts  to  the  Mas- 
ter. Every  day  the  number  of  converts  is  being  largely  in- 
creased, which  shows  conclusively  that  the  power  of  the  revivalists 
is  not  of  themselves,  but  of  Him  who  has  called  them  to  do  his 
work. 

Old    1875    Shrouded   with    Prayer. — The    Great  Watch 

Meetings. 

No  outside  attractions  of  holiday  week  drew  away  from  the 
meetings  at  the  Depot  Church.  Indeed,  at  no  time  before  was 
the  attendance  uniformly  so  large,  day  by  day,  and  the  seriousness 
of  the  hearers  so  general.  The  interest  of  the  week  culminated 
in  the  watch-meetings  of  Friday  night.  The  building  was  packed 
to  overflowing,  and  crowds  outside  vainly  sought  admission. 
There  were  three  meetings  during  the  evening,  one  beginning  at 
nine,  one  at  ten,  and  one  at  eleven  o'clock.  Mr.  Moody  preached 
earnestly  at  each  service. 

"  Should  any  people  faint,"  said  Mr.  Moody,  "  I  hope  the  ushers 
will  carry  them  right  out,  and  don't  let  me  see  three  or  four  thou- 


690  MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 

sand  people  straining  their  necks  just  because  some  one  has 
swooned  away."  After  a  general  chorus  of  the  hymn,  "  Rejoice 
and  be  glad,"  Mr.  Moody  read  the  thirteenth  chapter  of  the  First 
Corinthians.  "Grant,  O  God,"  prayed  Mr.  Moody,  "that  if 
there  be  any  here  who  have  made  resolutions  to  do  better  during 
the  coming  year  than  they  did  in  the  blessed  year  that  is  clos- 
ing, that  their  resolves  may  be  taken  away  from  them,  and  cause 
them  instead  to  put  their  trust  in  Thee."  "For  the  last  time 
in  this  old  year,"  said  Mr.  Sankey,  "  I  will  sing  you  the  Ninety 
and  Nine.  Let  us  ask  a  blessing  upon  its  singing."  The  popu- 
lar hymn  was  well  rendered,  and  the  evangelist  smiled  a  heavenly 
smile  of  satisfaction.  "A  man  cannot  serve  two  masters,"  said 
Mr.  Moody.  "  I  couldn't  belong  to  the  Democrats  and  to  the 
Republicans  at  the  same  time.  You  remember  the  border  men 
in  the  late  war  when  our  army  got  among  them.  Oh  !  they  were 
all  Union  men,  red-hot ;  and  when  the  Confederates  came,  then 
they  were  all  Southerners,  and  the  result  was  that  both  parties 
hated  and  plundered  them.  None  of  you,  except  infidels,  would 
say  that  you  wouldn't  want  to  become  Christians  some  time. 
Why  not  decide  to-night,  in  the  closing  moments  of  the  old  year  ? 
All  the  good  men  named  in  the  Bible  were  men  of  decision,  and 
the  others,  Pilate,  Agrippa,  and  the  rest,  wavering — '  almost  per- 
suaded.' When  Egypt  was  so  troubled  with  frogs  that  the  king 
couldn't  stand  it  any  longer — it  was  frogs,  frogs,  nothing  but  frogs 
everywhere  ;  he  couldn't  move  his  foot  without  treading  on  a 
frog — he  called  Moses,  and  says  he  :  '  Moses,  I  want  you  to  get 
rid  of  these  frogs  for  me.'  Moses  says  :  '  When  ? '  '  Why — a — 
a — to-morrow,'  says  the  king.  He  had  no  decision,  and  w^anted 
to  keep  the  frogs  for  another  night.  You  must  come  down  with 
the  '  I  will ! '  If  there's  no  God  to  punish  sin — if  there's  no  here- 
after, let's  turn  our  churches  into  theatres  ;  if  the  Bible  is  a  tissue 
of  lies,  let's  build  monuments  to  Voltaire  and  Payne  ;  if  there's  no 
hell,  '  let's  eat,  drink  and  be  merr}',  for  to-morrow  we  die.'  I 
believe  that  the  hand  of  God  is  upon  this  nation,  and  that  things 
are  going  to  be  worse  if  there's  not  more  repentance.  I  know 
what  keeps  men  from  deciding ;  it's  some  darling  sin.     '  I  like  to 


THE    WORK    IN    PHILADELPHIA.  69 1 

play  cards  and  I  can't  give  it  up  ;'  'I  love  my  rum-bottle — oh,  my 
darling  rum-bottle,  how  can  I  part  with  you  ! '  Sinner,  this  may 
be  your  last  chance  to  decide.  Oh,  for  Christ's  sake— for  your 
own  sake — trust,  believe !  throw  yourself  into  the  arms  of  the 
Saviour,  who  alone  can  bless  you  with  a  Happy  New  Year." 

Ten  o'clock  was  announced,  the  first  service  closed,  and  sev- 
eral thousand  departed,  their  seats  being  taken  by  new-comers. 
At  eleven  o'clock  occurred  a  repetition  of  this  egress  and  ingress, 
and  the  last  portion  of  the  watch  began. 

A  httle  after  ten  o'clock,  Mr.  Moody  called  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Plumer,  an  aged  minister,  to  what  he  called  the  "  witness-stand," 
and  interrogated  him  as  to  his  Christian  experience.  It  was  a 
novel  way  of  doing  things.  Mr.  Moody  asked  questions  as  if 
doubting  the  Word  which  he  so  often  preaches,  and  the  vener- 
able doctor  answered.  The  following  is  Mr.  Moody's  own 
account  of  this  original  episode  : 

In  response  to  a  request  for  an  account  of  the  watch-night 
inquiry-meeting,  when  the  Rev.  Dr.  Plumer  was  questioned  by 
me  as  to  the  great  truths  of  salvation,  I  give  the  questions  and 
answers,  as  I  recall  them,  aided  by  notes  taken  by  others  at  the 
time: 

Dr.  Plumer. — I  wish  to  give  a  year-text  to  this  assembly.  It 
is  from  the  73d  Psalm  :  *'  Whom  have  I  in  heaven  but  thee  ?  And 
there  is  none  upon  earth  that  I  desire  besides  thee." 

Mr.  Moody. — Dr.  Plumer,  we  speak  of  the  duty  of  "convic- 
tion."    What  is  conviction  ? 

Dr.  Plumer. — Conviction  is  a  clear  persuasion  that  a  thing 
is  true.  Religious  conviction  is  a  clear,  settled  persuasion  of 
five  things.  First.  That  I  am  ignorant,  and  need  instruction. 
Second.  That  I  am  guilty,  and  deserve  wrath  and  not  pardon. 
Third.  That  my  heart  is  vile,  and  must  be  renewed.  Fourth. 
That  my  condition  is  miserable ;  I  am  "  wretched,  and  miser- 
able, and  poor."  Fifth.  That  I  am  helpless;  I  am  without 
strength;  I  cannot  save  myself;  I  cannot  think  a  good  thought 
without  divine  grace. 

Mr.  Moody. — What  is  the  use  of  conviction  ? 


692  MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 

Dr.  Plumer. — The  use  of  conviction  is  not  to  punish  a  man 
for  his  sins ;  nor  is  it  to  make  him  any  better.  The  devils  in  hell 
have  been  under  an  awful  conviction  for  a  long  time,  and  not  one 
of  them  is  any  better.  The  sole  object  of  conviction  is  to  light 
up  the  soul  to  the  faith  of  Jesus.  The  sole  object  of  conviction 
is  to  bring  the  sinner  to  accept  salvation  by  atoning  blood. 

Mr.  Moody. — Is  any  given  amount  of  distress  necessary  to 
genuine  conversion? 

Dr.  Plumer. — Lydia  had  no  distress — we  read  of  none.  God 
opened  her  heart,  and  she  attended  to  the  things  spoken  by  Paul ; 
but  the  jailer  of  Phihppi  would  not  have  accepted  Christ  without 
some  alarm.  If  you  will  accept  the  Son  of  God,  you  need  have 
no  trouble ;  there  is  nothing  in  trouble  that  sanctifies  the  soul. 

Mr.  Moody. — Well,  Doctor,  what  is  conversion  ? 

Dr.  Plumer. — Glory  be  to  God,  there  is  such  a  thing  as  con- 
version! If  there  was  not,  everlasting  chains  and  darkness 
would  be  our  doom.  To  be  converted  is  to  turn  from  self,  self- 
will,  self-righteousness,  all  self-confidence,  and  from  sin  itself,  and 
to  be  turned  to  Christ.  The  turning-point  in  a  man's  conversion 
is  his  acceptance  of  Jesus  Christ ;  that  he  closes  in  with  Christ 
and  gives  him  all  his  confidence. 

Mr.  Moody. — Why  must  a  sinner  come  to  Christ  for  salvation  ? 

Dr.  Plumer. — Because  Jesus  Christ  is  the  only  Saviour.  All 
the  angels  in  heaven  and  all  the  saints  in  heaven  and  earth  cannot 
save  one  sinner.  He  must  come  to  the  Saviour.  I  will  tell  you 
why.  Here  are  quintillions  of  tons  of  atmospheric  air,  why  does 
not  that  support  life  without  your  respiring?  You  must  breathe 
it,  or  you  die.  For  the  same  reason  you  must  make  Christ  yours, 
or  you  perish,  notwithstanding  what  he  has  done.  The  sight  of  a 
river  will  never  quench  thirst,  and  the  sight  of  food  will  never 
satisfy  hunger.  You  must  come  to  Christ  and  make  his  salva- 
tion yours. 

.  Mr.  Moody. — Can  a  man  be  saved  here  to-night   before  12 
o'clock — saved  all  at  once  ? 

Dr.  Plumer. — Why  not?  In  my  Bible  I  read  of  three  thou- 
sand men  gathered  together  one  morning — all  of  them  murderers 


THE    WORK    IN    PHILADELPHIA.  •  693 

— their  hands  stained  with  the  blood  of  the  Son  of  God.  They 
met  in  the  morning,  and  before  night  they  were  all  baptized  mem- 
bers of  Christ.  God  added  to  the  church  in  those  days  such  as 
should  be  saved.  If  you  are  ever  saved  there  must  be  a  moment 
when  you  accept  Christ  and  renounce  the  world. 

Mr.  Moody. — What  is  repentance  ? 

Dr.  Plumer. — It  is  turning  to  God  with  abhorrence  of  sin, 
and  cleaving  to  Christ  with  promise  of  obedience.  A  man  truly 
repents  of  his  sins,  who  does  not  commit  the  sins  he  has  repented 
of;  therefore  saving  repentance  always  terminates  in  purity  of 
life  and  reformation.  A  thorough  change  of  heart  is  followed  by 
a  thorough  change  of  character. 

Mr.  Moody. — How  can  I  know  that  I  am  saved? 

Dr.  Plumer.  —The  fact  that  God  is  true.  "  Let  God  be  true, 
but  every  man  a  liar."  If  I  accept  Jesus  Christ  it  is  not  Mr. 
Moody's  word,  nor  Mr.  Sankey's,  nor  Dr.  Newton's;  it  is  the 
Word  of  the  living  God  whose  name  is  Amen.  "  He  that  be- 
lieveth  on  the  Son  hath  everlasting  life." 

Mr.  Moody. — What  if  I  haven't  got  faith  enough  ? 

Dr.  Plumer. — Glory  be  to  God,  if  I  can  touch  the  hem  of  my 
Saviour's  garment  I  shall  be  saved.  A  little  faith  is  as  truly  faith 
as  a  great  deal  of  faith.  A  little  coal  of  fire  in  the  ashes  is  as 
truly  fire  as  the  glowing  heat  of  a  furnace.  Jesus  says  not,  if 
you  have  great  faith  you  will  be  saved,  but  "he  that  believeth 
shall  be  saved."  Oh,  come  and  trust  him  fully.  Give  him  all 
your  confidence,  and  if  your  faith  is  not  as  strong  as  it  ought  to 
be,  cry,  as  did  the  disciples,  "  Lord,  increase  our  faith." 

Mr.  Moody. — But  I  don't  know  that  I  have  the  right  kind  of 
faith. 

Dr.  Plumer. — Are  you  able  to  analyze  your  faith  and  say 
whether  it  is  exactly  of  the  right  kind }  The  thief  upon  the  cross 
did  not  say,  if  I  had  a  little  more  faith  I  would  ask  you  to  remem- 
ber me  when  thou  comest  into  thy  kingdom.  He  offered  his 
prayer  with  the  faith  he  had  and  Christ  accepted  him.  You 
must  have  faith  in  God  through  grace,  and  then  your  faith  must 
have  worksj  to  be  of  the  right  kind. 


694  MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 

Mr.  Moody. — I  don't  feel  that  I  love  Christ  enough. 
Dr.  Plumer. — And  you  never  will.     To  all  eternity  you  never 
will  love  him  as  much  as  he  deserves  to  be  loved. 

"  Had  I  ten  thousand  thousand  tongues, 
Not  one  should  silent  be  ; 
Had  I  ten  thousand  thousand  hearts, 
I'd  give  them  all  to  thee." 

Mr.  Moody. — When  the  temptation  comes,  it  is  so  much 
stronger  than  my  resolution  that  I  yield.     What  shall  I  do  ? 

Dr.  Plumer. — Look  to  Jesus.  He  was  in  all  points  tempted 
like  as  we  are,  yet  without  sin.  Christ  can  give  us  the  strength 
of  giants.  Jesus  is  the  best  Master  and  the  best  Friend  in  the 
universe.     Glory  be  to  his  name  forever. 

The  questions  and  answers  are  worthy  of  preservation.  It 
would  be  indeed  well  if  the  scene,  on  the  occasion  of  this  con- 
ference between  the  two  men  of  God,  could  be  faithfully  pic- 
tured to  our  readers. 

It  was  near  midnight.  The  close  of  the  year  was  at  hand. 
The  Depot  Church  was  crowded.  Twelve  thousand  persons  sat 
listening  intently  to  the  words  of  the  earnest  evangelist.  Mr. 
Moody  had  concluded  a  sermon  from  the  text,  "  How  long  halt 
ye  between  two  opinions.'*  if  the  Lord  be  God,  follow  him;  but 
if  Baal,  then  follow  him."  The  appeal  had  come  home  with 
power  to  many  who  now  longed  for  words  of  personal  counsel, 
or  who  were  burdened  with  anxious  doubt.  An  ordinary  inquiry- 
meeting,  such  as  usually  follows  Mr.  Moody's  sermons,  was  not 
practicable  then  and  there ;  for  the  services  in  the  main  room 
were  to  continue  until  the  new  year  opened.  Said  Mr.  Moody : 
*'  You  always  show  an  interest  in  the  inquiry-meetings.  I  often 
see  some  of  you  who  are  outside  looking  in  at  the  doors  to  see 
what  is  going  on  in  there.  Some  of  you  have  been  in  there. 
Some  of  you  would  like  to  go  there  to-night;  but  we've  no 
chance  for  such  a  meeting  now.  So  I  propose  to  turn  this 
whole  meeting  into  an  inquiry  meeting.  Here  is  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Plumer,  of  South  Carolina.     He  is  seventy-four  years  old.     He 


THE    WORK    IN    PHILADELPHIA. 


695 


has  been  living  on  borrowed  time  for  four  years.  For  fifty-five 
years  he  has  been  sitting  at  the  feet  of  Jesus.  I'm  going  to  put 
him  on  to  tlie  witness  stand,  and  question  him  before  you  all. 
Dr.  Plumer,  will  you  take  the  pulpit  ? " 

The  venerable  clergyman,  with  his  commanding  form  and  pa- 
triarchal presence,  arose,  and  with  tremulous  movements  took 
the  stand  before  the  vast  congregation.  He  gave  his  Bible 
greeting  from  the  seventy-third  Psalm  to  the  waiting  hearers. 
Every  word  was  spoken  with  distinctness  and  with  deep  feeling 
as  if  under  a  sense  of  weighty  responsibility  in  thus  witnessing 
for  the  Lord.  It  was  a  most  impressive  service.  Many  a  soul 
present  seemed  to  feel  himself  the  questioner,  and  to  listen  as 
for  his  life  to  the  answer.  In  that  solemn  hour  it  was  as  if  God's 
prophecy  for  the  latter  days  was  fulfilled :  "  And  I  will  give 
power  unto  my  two  witnesses."  Their  speech  and  their  ^'preach- 
ing was  not  with  enticing  words  of  man's  wisdom,  but  in  demon- 
stration of  the  Spirit  and  of  power." 

The  Midnight  Watch. 

At  eleven  o'clock  the  doors  were  again  thrown  open  while  the 
big  audience  sang  "  Oh  for  a  thousand  tongues  to  sing."  This 
was  the  commencement  of  the  watch-meeting  proper — watching  for 
the  first  stroke  of  the  hour  which  marked  the  end  of  the  old  and 
the  beginning  of  the  new  year.  Though  but  a  few  more  persons 
got  in  through  the  briefly  opened  doors,  it  was  because  those 
who  had  come  to  stay  the  meeting  out  held  on  to  their  seats, 
unwilling  to  give  up  an  opportunity  of  once  a  year's  happening. 
Another  solemn  hymn  "  A  charge  to  keep  I  have,"  and  one  of  a 
joyful  character  "  The  Lord  of  earth  and  sky,"  were  sung,  Mr. 
Sankey  standing  by  the  organ  while  Prof  Fisher  played,  beating 
time  by  gently  clapping  his  hands,  and  the  Rev.  Dr.  March, 
formerly  of  the  Clinton  Presbyterian,  pra3'ed.  He  entreated  God 
that  all  the  meditations  of  the  night  should  draw  the  congrega- 
tion to  a  cantemplation  of  their  great  blessing  in  Christ.  The 
twenty-eighth  hymn,  "  One  more  day's  work  for  Jesus,"  was  sung, 


696  MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 

the  solo  by  Mr.  Sankey  and  the  chorus  by  the  choir,  Mr.  Sankey 
substituting  the  word  "year"  for  "day"  and  asked  the  choris- 
ters to  do  the  same.  The  change  fitted  the  hymn  very  well 
Mr.  Moody  then  began  his  third  sermon  of  the  evening  by  the 
sudden  utterance  of  the  words  "  There  are  thirty-five  minutes  left 
for  you  to  take  Jesus."  He  resumed  the  theme  "decision,"  which 
he  had  treated  two  hours  before,  taking  for  his  text  the  words 
in  Matthew,  "What  shall  I  then  do  with  Jesus  who  is  called 
Christ?"  If  Pilate,  said  the  preacher,  had  decided  to  follow 
Christ  he  would  have  been  walking  with  Peter,  John  and  the 
disciples  in  heaven  ;  he  would  now  be  in  the  fold  of  Christ ;  but 
he  liked  popularity,  and  he  listened  to  the  call  of  ambition,  and 
he  gave  Jesus  up  to  be  crucified.  Every  one  in  the  depot  had 
to  go  out  to-night  with  or  without  Jesus;  there  was  no  more 
serious  question  to  be  settled  in  the  last  few  minutes  of  the  year. 
The  Jews  had  said,  Crucify  Him !  crucify  Him !  when  the  words 
of  the  text  were  asked  of  them.  Would  those  present  do  the 
same.  Let  Christians  in  "these  last  minutes  of  1875"  lift  up 
voices  in  prayer  for  the  salvation  of  sinners.  Mr.  Moody  pic- 
tured Pilate's  supposed  remorse  on  the  morning  after  he  had 
refused  to  save  Christ  from  the  cross.  He  followed  the  foot- 
steps of  Judas — this  man  Pilate,  who  would  be  popular  with 
Caesar — and  put  an  end  to  his  life.  The  man  of  pleasure  and 
the  woman  of  the  world  were  then  exhorted  to  come  to  Jesus. 
"  How  about  you  blasphemers  who  have  come  in  here  to-night  ? 
What  are  you  going  to  do  ?  Many  are  here  to-night  who  have 
made  resolutions  to  commence  the  new  year  with,  but  they  can  do 
nothing  without  Jesus."  At  15  minutes  to  12  Mr.  Moody  asked 
that  all  join  in  a  silent  prayer.  Heads  were  bowed  all  over  the 
building,  and  silence  reigned,  Mr.  Sankey  breaking  it  by  playing 
the  soft  strains  of  "  Almost  persuaded,"  which  he  sang,  or  rather 
recited,  in  a  broken  voice.  Mr.  Moody  asked  those  Christians 
to  arise  who  wished  other  Christians  to  pray  for  them.  Almost 
the  entire  audience  rose  to  their  feet.  Then  the  unconverted 
were  invited  to  stand  up  and  ask  Christians  for  their  prayer. 
Rev.  Mr.  Johns  led  in  prayer,  remembering  both  classes — the 


THE    WORK    IN    PHILADELPHIA. 


697 


converted  in  need  of  help  and  the  unconverted  in  need  of  a 
Saviour.  Dr.  Newton,  after  this,  recited  the  Lord's  prayer,  and 
all  the  congregation  followed.  The  doxology,  "  Praise  God,  from 
whom  all  blessings  flow,"  was  sung,  and  Mr.  Moody  said  that 
there  were  about  four  minutes  of  the  old  year  left,  which  he 
wanted  spent  in  silent  prayer.  It  was  an  awful  solemn  four 
minutes.  It  was  so  silent  inside  that  the  sudden  clang  of  the 
bells  and  shriek  of  the  whistles  on  the  stroke  of  twelve  on  all 
sides  of  the  building  broke  with  startling  distinctness  on  the 
ear.  A  few  words  of  prayer  were  uttered  in  the  meanwhile  by 
Messrs.  Moody,  Sankey  and  George  H.  Stuart,  the  multitude 
still  bowing  their  heads.  The  benediction  was  impressively  pro- 
nounced by  Rev.  Dr.  Plumer,  and  Mr.  Moody,  wishing  all  a 
*'  Happy  New  Year,"  closed  the  meeting. 

Dr.  Plumer  said,  "I  wish  you  all  a  Happy  Eternity,"  and  with 
this  solemn  greeting  the  vast  multitude  passed  out. 

The  Mid-Day  Service. 

At  the  noon  service,  which  was  specially  for  the  reclamation 
of  inebriates,  more  than  a  hundred  requests  for  prayer  were  read 
for  unfortunates  of  all  ages  and  sexes  of  that  class.  Mr.  Moody's 
text  was,  "All  power  is  given  to  Me  in  heaven  and  on  earth." 
He  told  of  a  man  who,  in  his  drunken  moments,  came  into  one 
of  these  meetings,  declaring  :  "  John  Wannamaker's  catchpenny 
won't  have  any  effect  on  me."  But  the  question,  "Where  art 
thou?"  so  affected  that  drunkard  that  he  was  led  to  the  Saviour. 
Dr.  Plumer,  president  of  Columbia  College,  exhorted  the  peo- 
ple, saying  :  "  Oh,  believe  !  Be  saved  !  Come,  ye  opium-eaters 
and  smokers,  ye  drunkards  and  ye  chloral  drinkers,  come  all  and 
be  saved ! " 

The  hymn  "  Sowing  the  Seed  "  was  announced.  Mr.  Sankey 
said,  Before  we  sing  this  song  I  will  tell  you  one  reason  why  we 
should  sing  these  hymns,  and  that  is,  God  is  blessing  them  to 
many  a  poor  wanderer  who  comes  to  this  building  night  after 
night.     Last  week  a  man  who  had  once  occupied  a  high  position 


698  MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 

in  life  came  into  this  hall  and  sat  down.    While  I  was  singing  this 
hymn  he  took  out  his  pass-book  and  wrote  down  these  words : 

"  Sowing  the  seed  of  a  Hngering  pain, 
Sowing  die  seed  of  a  maddened  brain, 
Sowing  the  seed  of  a  tarnished  name, 
Sowing  the  seed  of  eternal  shame. 
Oh,  what  shall  the  harvest  be  ? " 

Last  night  that  man  in  the  inquiry-room  went  on  his  knees  and 
asked  God  to  break  the  chain  that  had  dragged  him  down  from 
such  a  high  position  to  the  lowest  of  the  low.  He  said  he  had 
resolved  when  he  went  out  of  that  praise-meeting  that  he  would 
cease  to  indulge  in  the  intoxicating  cup,  but  before  he  reached 
home  he  went  into  a  saloon  and  broke  his  resolution.  We  prayed 
for  him  last  night.  He  is  now  praying  that  God  may  break  his 
chain.  I  want  you  to  pray  that  this  brand  may  be  plucked  from 
the  burning,  and  that  God  may  use  these  Gospel  hymns  to  turn 
the  hearts  of  sinful  men. 

Rev.  Dr.  Cuyler,  of  Brooklyn,  said  the  question  was  asked : 
"Are  there  any  permanent  results  following  the  labors  of  these 
two  brothers.  Moody  and  Sankey,  in  the  only  two  cities  they  have 
visited  in  this  country?"  We  had  no  substantial  results  in 
Brooklyn  until  the  froth  of  novelty  had  blown  away.  In  Phila- 
delphia the  froth  of  novelty  has  now  blown  away,  and  you  have 
got  to  the  blessed  work.  Every  church  in  Brooklyn  that  followed 
up  the  labors  of  Moody  and  Sankey  with  personal  effort  is  to-day 
in  the  midst  of  a  greater  or  more  limited  revival  of  religion,  and 
every  case  that  has  been  followed  up  by  an  effort  has  been  suc- 
ceeded by  a  permanent  conversion.  Our  chief  difficulty  was  from 
the  self-indulgence  of  church-members  who  were  greedy  to  get 
enjoyment  for  themselves  and  not  pass  it  to  a  dying  soul.  Sab- 
bath-school teachers  were  quickened  in  their  work,  but  the  great- 
est results  of  the  work  have  been  in  regard  to  young  men.  Two 
union  prayer-meetings  have  grown  out  of  the  work^one  in  Brook- 
lyn and  the  other  in  New  York.  God  has  blessed  the  labors  of 
these  brothers  in  reaching  that  class  of  men  who  are  addicted  to 
strong  drink.     The  most  significant  example  I  haVe  yet  met  with 


THE   WORK    IN    PHILADELPHIA.  699 

in  Brooklyn  is  that  of  a  man  given  np  b}'  everybody.  Tliat  man 
was  picked  up  in  the  mud  before  my  church-door  many  a  time, 
and  he  has  stood  before  that  church  and  damned  it.  He  is  now 
sitting  at  the  feet  of  Jesus,  humble  and  in  his  right  mind.  If  God 
will  save  him,  He  will  save  any  man  in  this  city. 

Mr.  Moody  said  he  had  received  a  note  Sunday  night,  asking 
him  if  a  person  could  come  to  the  Saviour  if  he  wanted  to,  or,  in 
other  words,  has  one  power  in  himself  to  come  ?  To  answer  this 
he  read  from  Matthew  xi.  27,  and  from  other  portions  of  Scrip- 
ture. If  a  man  wants  to  come,  no  power  on  earth  or  hell  could 
hinder  him  ;  but  God  will  not  receive  any  one  who  is  not  willing 
to  give  up  his  sins. 

The  only  sorrowful  meeting  of  the  week  is  the  prayer-meeting 
for  drunkards  on  Friday.  The  glimpse  that  is  given  in  these 
meetings  into  many  of  the  homes  of  the  great  city  is  an  appalling 
one.  Wives,  sisters,  daughters,  send  up  a  bitter  cry  for  interces- 
sions in  behalf  of  those  who  are  walking  in  the  sure  way  to  death, 
and  wrecking  the  happiness  of  others  in  the  work  of  their  own 
destruction.  And  darker  still  was  the  revelation  when  the  re- 
quests for  prayer  mentioned  wives,  mothers,  and  daughters  has- 
tening to  a  shameless  end  through  strong  drink.  One  note  was 
in  behalf  of  a  wife  in  a  home  of  wealth,  of  social  position,  the 
slave  to  strong  drink,  "  whose  husband  would  gladly  give  all  his 
wealth  for  the  restoration  of  his  partner  and  their  home."  An- 
other for  an  only  daughter  given  to  the  use  of  intoxicating  liquors. 
The  prayers  in  behalf  of  these  cases  are  most  urgent  and  beseech- 
ing, and  it  is  a  relief  to  these  dark  unveilings  to  know  that  some 
of  the  poor  slaves  of  drink  have  been  rescued  from  their  bondage, 
and  brought  in  humility  and  penitence  to  the  feet  of  Christ. 

A  Sunday-school  Day  at  the  Depot  Church. 

Thursday,  January  6,  the  noon-day  service  at  the  Depot 
Church  was  specially  in  the  interest  of  the  Sunday-schools.  The 
platform  was  crowded,  as  was  also  the  space  in  front  of  the  sepa- 
rating curtain,  which  was  finally  lifted  and  a  large  number  of  per^ 


700  MOODY   AND   SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 

sons  occupied  the  space  beyond.  Mr.  Moody  conducted  the 
services,  which  began  by  singing,  under  Mr.  Sankey's  leadership, 
the  hymn  beginning,  "  There  is  a  land  of  pure  delight."  After 
reading  a  few  verses  from  Matthew  xviii.,  Mr.  Moody  said  : 

We  have  been  having  such  a  tender  time  in  these  noon-day 
meetings  for  a  few  days  back,  that  we  want  to  keep  on  to-day  in 
the  same  line.  And  so  our  topic  is,  "  How  to  lead  our  children 
to  Christ." 

Now  my  experience  in  the  Sabbath-school  has  been  something 
like  this :  that  wherever  I  could  find  a  teacher  who  was  willing  to 
work  personally  with  the  children,  and  get  them  to  learn  one  by 
one,  and  talk  with  them,  and  pray  with  them,  and  pray  for  them ; 
and  then,  after  they  had  succeeded — because  that  kind  of  work 
always  succeeds — in  bringing  them  to  Christ,  if  they  just  nursed 
them,  and  fed  them  with  the  sincere  milk  of  the  Word— instructed 
them,  and  taught  them  how  Christians  ought  to  live,  how  Chris- 
tians ought  to  walk — that  teacher  has  always  been  successful.  I 
never  knew  such  a  teacher  to  fail  But  those  teachers  who  never 
speak  to  their  scholars,  except  in  the  class  and  when  they  are  all 
together,  are  about  as  successful  as  the  ministers  who  never  have 
any  inquiry-meetings,  and  who  always  meet  their  people  in  the 
pulpit,  and  preach  to  them  in  a  body.  If  we  are  to  be  successful 
in  leading  children  to  Christ  it  must  be  done  personally. 

A  friend  of  mine,  who  has  been  a  teacher  some  time,  said  to 
me  that  he  had  never  seen  a  soul  converted.  He  had  in  his  class 
five  young  ladies  of  position  and  influence  in  the  town  in  which 
he  lived.  He  had  tried  to  teach  them  the  Bible,  and  had  talked 
to  them  about  Christ,  but  had  never  spoken  to  them  personally 
about  their  going  to  Christ.  Some  remarks  were  at  length  made 
to  him  about  working  personally  with  the  children.  He  went 
home  and  thought  over  the  matter,  and  the  next  Sunday  he  said 
to  one  of  the  five  young  ladies  that  he  would  like  to  see  her  and 
have  a  little  talk  with  her  after  the  school  had  broken  up.  The 
young  lady  stayed  when  the  rest  \vent  out,  and  he  then  spoke  to 
her  personally  about  her  soul's  salvation  ;  told  her  how  anxious 
he  was  for  her  conversion.     The  tears  began  to  trickle  down  her 


THE    WORK    IN    PHILADELPHIA. 


701 


cheeks,  and  he  found  that  she  was  ready  to  be  taught  the  way. 
The  next  time  the  others  met  that  young  lady  they  asked  her 
what  he  wanted  of  her,  and  she  told  them.  The  next  Sunday  he 
asked  another  one  to  stay,  and  in  five  Sundays  those  five  young 
ladies  were  led  to  Christ,  and  all  of  them  have  been  successful 
teachers  now  for  five  years.  Remember  that  this  was  done  in  five 
short  weeks,  by  exhorting  them  personally,  and  praying  for  them. 

I  remember  once  going  out  with  two  of  my  teachers'  class,  call- 
ing upon  some  scholars.  We  went  into  one  house  and  met  three 
young  ladies  who  had  grown  up  in  our  mission  Sunday-school. 
They  had  been  there  from  little  childhood  up.  As  I  went  out  I 
said,  "  Now  let  us  go  to  work  and  see  if  we  can't  win  those  three 
to  Christ.  You  take  Margaret,  you  take  Sarah,  and  I  will  take 
Henrietta,  and  we  will  give  them  books,  write  to  them,  visit  and 
pray  for  them — work  personally  with  them."  Within  a  month 
two  of  them  have  been  led  to  Christ,  and  since  I  have  been  in 
Philadelphia  a  young  man  has  come  to  me  from  Chicago  and 
told  me  that  Margaret  has  been  converted.  Prayer  has  prevailed, 
and  those  three  have  been  saved,  and  two  of  them  have  been  co- 
workers with  me  in  the  Sabbath-school  for  a  long  time. 

If  teachers  here  will  hold  their  classes  next  Sabbath  with  a 
determination,  God  helping  them,  that  they  will  try  to  lead  one 
soul  to  Christ,  and  pick  out  one  member  of  their  class  and  ear- 
nestly endeavor  to  work  with  that  one  member,  you  don't  know 
what  you  may  do  for  Christ.  And  if  you  can't  see  them  on  Sun- 
day, make  a  point  of  meeting  them  through  the  week,  invite  them 
to  some  of  your  meetings,  and  then  pray  to  God  to  convert  them. 

My  friends,  when  you  turn  one  of  these  litde  children  to  Christ, 
you  don't  know  and  you  can't  tell  what  God  may  do  with  them ; 
you  don't  know  how  they  may  be  raised  to  be  a  great  blessing  to 
the  honor  of  the  Lord,  or  how  they  may  hereafter  turn  hundreds 
and  thousands  to  Christ.  If  we  don't  get  into  this  personal  work 
of  dealing  with  souls  I  don't  think  we  are  going  to  be  very  suc- 
cessful. It  is  my  experience,  after  having  superintended  schools 
for  twelve  or  thirteen  years,  that  the  people  who  deal  personally 
with  the  scholars  make  the  successes. 


702 


MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 


And  not  only  that.  How  very  few  mothers  take  their  children 
off  into  a  room,  talk  with  them,  pray  with  them,  tell  them  the  way 
to  Christ !  I  know  if  that  were  done  we  would  have  fewer  re- 
quests here  from  mothers  for  drunken  sons  ;  but  the  fact  is  that 
hundreds  of  mothers  do  not  believe  in  the  conversion  of  their 
little  children,  and  the  result  is  that  soon  those  children  wander 
into  billiard-halls  and  drinking-saloons,  and  at  twenty  many  of 
them  have  become  confirmed  drunkards,  and  then,  and  then  only, 
the  mothers  begin  to  wake  up  and  cry  to  God  that  He  must  save 
their  sons.     We  ought  to  commence  earlier. 

In  Cincinnati,  at  a  Sunday-school  meeting,  the  little  children 
were  repeating  verses,  and  one  of  them,  a  little  child  only  four 
years  of  age,  got  up.  She  was  so  small  she  had  to  be  put  up  on 
a  seat.  She  got  scared  at  the  ■  people,  and  was  afraid  to  repeat 
the  verses  her  mother  had  been  teaching  her  through  the  week — 
*'  Suffer  little  children."  With  trembling  lip  and  heart,  she  said, 
"  Suffer  little  children,"  and  then  broke  down.  She  commenced 
again,  "  Suffer  little  children  to  come,"  and  broke  down  the  sec- 
ond time.  She  attempted  it  the  third  time,  "  Suffer  little  chil- 
dren to  come,  a7id  do?i't  any  of  yon  stop  them  from  o?ie  and  all  to 
come."  She  had  got  the  meaning  of  the  phrase.  She  could  not 
have  given  a  better  one. 

Don't  any  of  you  stop  them,  for  God  wants  them  all  to  come, 
and  it  is  this  miserable  unbelief  in  the  church  that  is  keeping 
back  the  children.  How  many  could  be  brought  to  Christ  in  the 
morning  of  their  days  if  we  labored  for  their  salvation  as  we 
should.  God  help  us  to  be  wise  while  we  have  our  children  with 
us  young— their  hearts  tender.  Let  us  pray  to  make  an  impres- 
sion on  them  for  eternity,  that  they  may  go  to  Christ  in  the  morn- 
ing of  their  day. 

Mr.  Sankey  said  many  a  parent  and  many  a  teacher,  it  is  to  be 
feared,  as  the  result  of  all  his  earthly  career,  will  at  last  be  able 
to  say  nothing  better  than  that  he  has  gathered  "nothing  but 
leaves."  Pardon  me,  then,  while  I  sing  that  hymn,  and  let  each 
one  pray  that  his  harvesting  will  be  far  better. 

After  singing,  the  Rev.  H.  C.  McCook  spoke  as  follows :  Faith 


THE    WORK    IN    PHILADELPHIA.  703 

is  natural  to  a  child.  There  is  scarcely  anything  that  a  child  does 
not  receive  by  faith.  In  the  family  circle,  when  he  comes  to 
learn  the  first  principles  of  right  and  wrong,  he  has  nothing  for  it 
but  the  word  of  the  father,  "This  is  right,  my  child,"  or  the  word 
of  the  mother,  "  This  is  wrong,  my  child  ;  you  must  do  this ;  you 
must  not  do  that,"  and  the  child  believes.  You  scarcely  ever 
find  a  doubter  among  children.  Now,  God  has  already  prepared 
the  children  for  this.  When  you  come  before  them  persuaded 
that  the  child  can  be  led  to  Christ — as  Brother  Moody  has  said — 
persuaded  that  the  Word  of  God  which  you  teach  is  able  to  make 
the  child  wise  unto  salvation  through  faith  in  Jesus  Christ — when 
you  sit  down  before  that  little  immortal,  God  has  made  the  whole 
way,  so  far  as  his  natural  disposition  is  concerned,  perfectly  plain 
and  easy  for  you. 

Now,  what  are  you  to  do  ?  You  do  not  need  to  stop  and 
explain  what  faith  is,  or  what  regeneration  is,  or  to  enter  into  any 
other  of  these  questions  about  religious  doctrines  and  life,  but  the 
great  thing  is  to  hold  up  the  object  of  faith.  If  you  can  put 
Christ's  creed  before  the  child,  showing  what  Jesus  is  to  the  child 
and  to  all  the  world,  in  all  his  lovely  attributes,  the  child  will  fol- 
low you,  and  the  Holy  Spirit  will  bring  that  child  to  embrace 
Christ  by  faith. 

Now,  then,  point  to  God  as  the  Father  of  the  child  in  Jesus 
Christ.  Let  him  be  taught  to  believe  through  all  his  days  that 
this  heavenly  Father  is  his  own  father — his  Father  in  heaven — 
and  that  he  may  go  to  him  for  every  blessing.  Several  years  ago 
I  was  playing  with  my  own  little  girl  and  a  companion  who  had 
come  to  the  house,  when  the  children  were  both  very  small. 
They  were  leaping  down  from  the  stairway,  and  as  I  stood  below, 
my  little  child  said,  "  Papa,  let  me  jump  into  your  arms."  "  Very 
well,"  I  said,  "go  up  a  step  or  two  higher,"  and  I  reached  out 
my  arms.  The  little  one  stepped  up  and  then  sprung  down  the 
steps  without  any  hesitation,  and  I  caught  her  safely.  "Now," 
said  I,  "  Gracie,  you  try  it,"  and  little  Gracie  went  up  a  step  or 
two  lower  and  stood  as  though  she  was  going  to  make  the  jump, 
but  she  didn't  do  it.     Once,  twice,  several  times,  she  tried  to 


704  MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 

make  the  jump  and  couldn't  do  it,  and  I  had  to  reach  up  and 
lift  her  down  in  my  arms.  Now,  what  was  the  difference  ? 
How  can  you  account  for  the  difference  in  those  two  children  ? 
Why,  my  own  little  girl  had  the  spirit  of  a  child  in  her.  I  was 
her  father,  and  so  with  an  unquestioning  faith  she  leaped  right 
down  stairs,  knowing  that  I  would  catch  her.  But  the  other 
child  was  not  of  my  family.  She  was  only  in.  there  as  a  playmate 
for  a  season,  and  when  she  came  to  attempt  to  repeat  the  action 
her  little  heart  failed  her,  because  she  didn't  see  her  father  down 
below  with  outstretched  arms. 

Rev.  C.  A.  Dickey,  D.D.,  next  addressed  the  meeting.  He 
said :  God  has  laid  on  me  many  responsibilities,  under  which  I 
tremble,  but  there  is  none  that  I  carry  like  my  two  children, 
because  I  feel  that  for  those  I  am  wholly  responsible  before  God. 
I  believe  that  in  regard  to  every  other  soul  on  God's  earth  some- 
body must  share  the  responsibility  with  me — some  other  father  or 
some  other  mother  must  divide  it  with  me — but  before  God  I  feel 
that  for  two  souls  I  am  wholly  responsible.  And  I  say  that 
nothing  bears  upon  me  like  the  weight  that  God  has  put  upon  me 
for  those  two  little  children.  And  if  I  have  one  word  to  say  to 
you,  knowing  that  most  of  you  are  parents  here  to-day,  it  is  this 
one  thought,  that  the  responsibility  is  yours  and  not  the  child's. 
I  therefore  wish  that  this  question  had  been  otherwise  presented. 
Instead  of  how  to  bring  the  children  to  Christ,  we  ought  to  be 
considering  on  our  knees  how  we  are  liable  to  hinder  the  chil- 
dren from  coming  to  Christ,  for  I  believe  that  there  is  nothing 
v/hich  can  possibly  interpret  the  promise  of  God  and  the  precepts 
of  God  but  this  thought,  that  so  far  as  God  and  his  plans  of 
mercy  are  concerned  they  embrace  the  children,  and  God  is 
exhausting  everything  to  save  them  all,  even  those  who  are  hin- 
dered by  others.  It  is  to  me  the  most  humiliating  thing  that  falls 
from  the  Word  of  God  that  the  disciples  are  presented  in  the 
most  beautiful  picture  of  God's  work  as  the  obstacles  in  the  way 
of  the  children.  There  is  no  picture  that  God  has  painted  upon 
the  Word  so  beautiful  as  that  where  Christ  beseechingly  says, 
"Suffer  them  to  come."     And  I  say  that  the  dark  line  on  that 


THE    WORK    IN    PHILADELPHIA. 


705 


bright  picture  is  the  fact  that  the  disciples  must  be  rebuked  and 
be  gotten  out  of  the  way  before  Christ  can  be  gratified  in  the 
possession  of  the  children.  It  is  not  said,  "  Suffer  little  children 
to  be  brought  unto  me,"  but  "  suffer  them  to  come,"  as  though 
the  little  ones  were  themselves  eager  to  come  ;  as  though  their 
hearts  were  full  of  the  desire  to  come  ;  as  though  they,  by  the 
plans  and  purposes  of  God,  could  come ;  as  though  everything 
that  was  essential  was  provided  but  one  thing,  and  that  was  the 
removal  of  the  obstacle,  the  taking  away  of  the  hindrance. 
"  Suffer  them  to  come."  "  I  am  ready,"  says  Jesus.  The  chil- 
dren are  ready.  The  trouble  is  that  something  is  in  the  way, 
somebody  is  violating  some  pledge,  somebody  is  violating  some 
promise,  somebody  has  thrown  himself  in  the  way  of  the  child, 
and  it  is  prevented  from  coming  to  me. 

Rev.  Dr.  J.  Wheaton  Smith,  of  the  Beth-Eden  Baptist  Church, 
related  an  interesting  incident.  He  said  that  they  organized 
some  years  ago  a  mission  on  South  street,  and  among  the  scholars 
was  a  little  boy  who  was  a  rider  in  Dan  Rice's  circus,  and  whose 
mother  kept  a  peanut  stand  at  the  Arch-street  Theatre.  The 
little  boy  was  a  great  trouble  in  the  school,  and  none  of  the  male 
teachers  could  do  anything  with  him.  Finally  a  lady  said  she 
would  take  the  boy,  and  soon  after  he  noticed  the  little  fellow 
looking  earnestly  into  his  teacher's  face,  and  intently  listening 
to  her.  Through  her  he  was  led  to  the  Saviour.  He  finally  left 
the  school,  and  some  time  after  they  heard  that  he  was  a  drum- 
mer-boy in  the  Union  army,  and  was  mortally  wounded.  He 
sent  a  letter  to  his  old  teacher,  full  of  love,  thanking  her  for 
leading  his  soul  to  Zion.  Some  persons  say  that  they  are  not 
sufficiently  educated  for  teachers,  but,  said  the  speaker,  all  that 
is  required  is  to  have  the  love  of  Christ  in  our  hearts,  and  He 
will  do  the  rest. 

Mr.  Moody  gave  his  experience.  He  said  where  he  found  a 
teacher  willing  to  work  personally  with  the  children — get  them 
alone  one  by  one  and  talk  with  them,  and  pray  with  and  for  them,' 
teaching  them  how  a  Christian  ought  to  live  and  walk — that 
teacher  has  always  been  successful.     Teachers  that  never  speak 


7o6  MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 

to  their  scholars  only  in  the  class  are  about  as  successful  as 
preachers  who  never  have  any  inquiry-meetings.  If  we  are  going 
to  be  successful  in  leading  children  to  Christ  it  must  be  by  per- 
sonal teaching.  Mr.  Moody  related  several  instances  of  the 
successful  result  of  personal  teaching,  both  by  Sunday-school 
teachers  and  mothers  with  their  children.  If  mothers  would 
take  their  children  alone  in  a  room  and  teach  them,  there  would 
not  be  so  many  requests  by  mothers  for  us  to  pray  for  sons  who 
are  drunkards. 

The  Rev.  Dr.  E.  P.  Rogers  said :  I  want  to  give  a  single  illus- 
tration of  what  my  friend  Mr.  Moody  said  in  his  opening  address. 
One  fact  is  worth  a  thousand  arguments.  He  said  we  didn't 
know  what  our  children  might  be  the  instruments  of  accomplish- 
ing in  God's  hands  if  they  were  early  converted.  I  want  to  state 
one  single  fact  to  him  and  to  you.  The  scene  occurred  about 
twenty-five  years  ago,  and  I  shall  never  forget.  One  beautiful 
Sunday  morning  word  came  to  me  that  a  little  girl,  six  years  old, 
a  member  of  my  Sunday-school,  was  lying  on  her  dying  bed.  She 
was  a  child  of  un-Christian  parents,  the  highest  people  in  the 
State,  her  father  the  Governor  of  the  State,  a  former  Judge  of  the 
Supreme  Court,  a  gentleman  of  the  highest  standing,  but  out  of 
Christ.  The  little  girl  as  I  stood  by  her  bedside  said  to  her 
father,  "  Father,  come  here."  She  took  him  by  the  coat,  drew 
him  down  to  her  so  that  his  head  almost  touched  her  cheek,  and 
said,  "  Father,  I  am  going  up,  I  am  going  up,  I  am  going  to 
Jesus ;  and  now,  dear  father,  I  want  you  to  promise  me  one 
thing."  "What  is  it,  my  child  ?"  said  he,  broken  down  in  ago- 
nizing sorrow.  "  I  want  you  to  promise  me,"  said  she,  "  that  j-ou 
will  be  a  Christian  and  follow  me  to  where  I  am  going,  up  to 
Jesus  ; "  and  turning  to  her  grandfather,  an  old  gray-headed  man, 
nearly  eighty  years  of  age,  she  said,  "  Grandpa,  your  head  is  very 
white;  and  your  time  is  very  short  ;  but,  grandpa,  follow  me  to 
Jesus."  So  she  passed  away,  saying  to  me,  "  Give  my  love  to  my 
Sunday-school  teacher,  and  thank  her  for  all  she  did  for  me." 
The  next  day  we  laid  little  Sallie  in  her  grave  under  the  tall  pine- 
trees  of  the  Southern  forest,  and  after  the  funeral  this  tall,  stately, 


THE    WORK    IN    PHILADELPHIA.  707 

dignified  man,  always  attentive  to  my  voice  as  a  preacher,  but 
never  allowing  me  to  get  near  him  out  of  the  pulpit,  said  to  me 
with  tears  in  his  eyes,  "  Mr.  Rogers,  come  and  see  us  every  da)", 
and  talk  to  us  about  Jesus,  for  we  want  to  remember  the  little 
preacher  and  follow  her  to  Christ.'^ 

You  don't  know  what  your  children  could  accomplish  if  they 
were  brought  to  Jesus.  One  of  the  sweetest  pictures  of  the  lat- 
ter-day glory  closes  with  this  climax,  "  A  little  child  shall  lead 
them."  And  there  are  children  in  your  household  who  may  yet 
lead  men  and  women  to  the  Saviour,  if  we  suffer  them  to  come  to 
Him  now- 
After  silent  prayer,  the  Rev.  George  A.  Peltz  said :  How  can 
we  reach  that  very  point  ?  How  can  we  see  in  the  children  of 
our  homes  and  our  classes  that  work  of  the  Lord  God  so  that 
they  will  lead  others  to  righteousness  ?  In  theory  I  have  long 
held  that  they  may  be  Christ's  very  early,  but  I  had  to  wait 
for  a  little  girl  in  my  own  home  to  teach  me  that  the  thing  was  a 
great  reality.  That  little  girl,  five  years  old  at  the  time  of  which 
I  speak,  was  singing  around  the  room,  "I  love  Jesus."  We 
thought  it  was  to  her  only  a  matter  of  amusement,  and  one  of  us 
said,  "  Do  you  really  love  Jesus  ?  "  "  Why,  I  can't  tell  the  time 
when  I  didn't  love  Jesus,"  said  she.  Love  to  Jesus  appeared  to 
have  sprung  up  in  that  little  heart,  so  far  as  she  was  conscious 
of  it,  as  early  as  love  to  father  or  love  to  mother. 

It  taught  me  this :  First,  None  can  tell  how  early  God's  Holy 
Spirit  may  take  hold  on  a  heart  and  mould  it  savingly.  It  taught 
me,  secondl}^,  That  very  little  ones  may  intelligently  receive  the 
blessed  Jesus  ;  and  it  taught  me,  thirdly.  Never  to  doubt  a  child's 
experience  where  there  is  a  sweet  trust  and  a  loving  faith  in  the 
Saviour.     As  parents  and  as  teachers  let  us  hold  to  this. 

One  other  lesson  we  may  learn  from  children.  A  boy  in  my 
o\vn  Sunda3'-school  was  convicted  of  sin.  He  came  to  the  school 
hoping  his  teacher  would  say  something  to  help  him,  but  the 
teacher  did  not.  He  v/ent  home  with  his  heart  all  crushed  be- 
cause he  felt  that  nobody  cared  for  his  soul.  He  sat  down  alone 
to  brood  over  his  terrible  condition.     His  little  sister  came  run- 


>joS  MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 

niiig  into  the  room,  and  as  she  came  in  she  repeated  the  words, 
"Let  not  your  heart  be  troubled,"  and  away  she  went.  He 
thought  about  it.  Thought  he,  "Who  sent  me  that  message?" 
He  supposed  an  older  sister  had  sent  it,  and  he  felt  so  grateful 
that  he  went  to  thank  her.  She  said,  "I  didn't  send  it."  He 
called  the  litde  girl  and  asked  who  told  her  to  say  those  words. 
"  Nobody  told  me,"  said  she.  "  Where  did  you  get  them  ? "  said 
he.  She  answered,  "  Why,  I  was  learning  my  text  for  next  Sun- 
day." He  asked  where  the  text  was.  She  showed  it  to  him,  and 
for  the  first  time  the  fact  dawned  on  him,  there  is  a  Saviour  who 
said,  "  Let  not  your  heart  be  troubled."  He  thought,  "  My  teacher 
had  no  such  word  for  me,  but  Jesus  had  it,  and  I  have  it  from 
the  lips  of  Jesus."  And  just  there  and  then  he  felt  that  Jesus 
had  personally  suffered  with  and  sympathized  with  him,  and  was 
ready  to  bear  his  burden  and  take  away  his  sins.  Let  us  hold 
up  a  personal  Saviour  such  as  that.  That  is  the  Saviour  the 
children  need. 

Mr.  Moody  read  a  letter  from  an  English  correspondent,  in 
which  a  very  touching  account  was  given  of  the  call  up  higher  of 
two  Christian  boys.  "  Precious  Jewels  "  was  then  sung,  and  the 
meeting  closed,  the  mothers  tarrying  to  pray  in  one  ante-room, 
and  many  of  the  men  retiring  for  the  same  purpose  to  another. 

Teachers  in  the  Sabbath-school  might  well  take  some  hints 
from  Mr.  Moody.  He  preaches  for  a  purpose.  He  does  not 
merely  do  it  to  interest,  but  to  convert.  He  would  not  preach  at 
all,  we  may  be  sure,  unless  he  did  interest  and  instruct,  but  we 
may  be  equally  certain  that  he  would  cease  to  preach  if  he  did 
no  more  than  this.  His  great  aim  is  so  to  interest  and  instruct 
that  his  hearers  shall  decide  for  Christ.  When  a  teacher  spends 
all  his  time  on  that  which  will  secure  the  attention  and  give  in- 
struction, he  may  find  that  after  all  he  has  accomplished  nothing. 
He  has  taken  the  easily-captured  outworks,  while  the  citadel  re- 
mains untouched.  The  heart,  and  not  the  mind  or  the  fancy,  is 
the  real  object  of  attack. 

Mr.  Moody,  in  one  of  his  sermons,  said :  "  Suppose  I  go  to 
find  a  poor  beggar-woman  whom  I  have  seen  standing  on  the 


THE    WORK    IN    PHILADELPHIA. 


709 


street  clothed  in  rags.  I  find  her  all  nicely  clothed,  and  ask, 
'What  does  this  mean?'  She  says,  'Why,  Mr.  Moody,  a  man 
came  and  put  into  my  hand,  as  I  stood  here,  a  ten-pound  note.' 
'How  was  that?  Did  you  know  how  to  put  out  the  right  kind 
of  hand  ?  Was  your  hand  all  right  ? '  '  Why,  sir,  you  don't  un- 
derstand. The  stranger  put  the  money,  a  ten-pound  note,  into 
my  hand ;  laid  it  here  on  this  very  palm.  Why,  I  got  the  money ; 
isn't  that  enough  ? '  Now,  many  come  to  me  and  say,  '  I  am 
afraid  I  haven't  got  the  right  kind  of  faith.'  Faith  is  only  the 
hand  held  out  to  God.  Don't  look  at  your  hand,  look  up  to  God. 
You  don't  feel  joyful  ?  Take  Jesus  at  His  word,  and  let  feelings 
alone." 

Mr.  Marsh,  who  has  been  on  Mr.  Moody's  track,  writes : 
I  have  not  once  heard  the  complaint,  so  often  made  after  revi- 
val excitement  has  cooled,  that  converts  did  not  "  hold  out."  It 
was  a  common  thing  for  people  to  come  into  his  meetings  indif- 
ferent and  go  away  converted.  Indeed,  the  emphasis  with  which 
he  preached  to  all  alike  the  duty  of  immediate  surrender  was  a 
stumbHng-block  to  some  good  people.  Who  could  not  see  that 
a  man  who  decides  promptly  when  an  issue  is  fully  before  him, 
is  quite  as  much  to  be  depended  on  as  one  who  dallies  a  long 
while  over  a  decision  ?  There  are  no  more  steadfast  soldiers  of 
Christ  in  the  British  churches  to-day  than  those  who  enlisted 
under  Mr.  Moody.  Perhaps  no  other  minister  in  Edinburgh  has 
had  to  do  with  so  many  of  the  converts  in  that  city  as  Mr.  Wil- 
son, of  the  Barclay  Church.  He  recently  stated  that  he  had 
known  of  but  two  declensions.  But  I  am  sure  that  the  most 
important  result  of  this  two  years'  work  is  not  measured  by  the 
number  of  hopeful  co'nversions  in  connection  with  it,  many  thou- 
sands though  they  were.  The  breaking  down  of  denominational 
prejudices  is  most  marked.  The  spiritual  life  of  the  churches 
has  been  greatly  quickened.  Ministers  confess  that  they  have 
preached  since  as  they  never  knew  how  to  preach  before.  "  He 
used  to  be  a  very  different  man,  but  he  got  a  blessing  when 
Moody  was  here,"  was  a  remark  made  about  an  earnest  Chris- 
tian worker  in  Edinburgh,  the  like  of  v/hich  one  often  hears  in 


^lO  MOODY  AND   SANKEY   IN   AMERICA. 

Scotland.  It  was  something  marvellous  how  he  inoculated  those 
whom  he  met  with  his  zeal  for  souls.  A  business  man  in  an 
English  town  went  to  hear  him  in  another  city.  They  had  a  five 
minutes'  talk  together.  A  new  fire  was  kindled  in  his  heart, 
and  since  then  he  has  had  no  greater  joy  than  to  preach  in  the 
evening  on  the  street  to  those  who  never  go  to  church ;  adjourn- 
ing to  some  convenient  room  for  a  prayer  and  inquiry-meeting 
with  such  as  may  be  entangled  in  his  net.  In  Aberdeen  I  found 
the  theatres  filled  every  Sunday  evening  to  listen  to  the  simple, 
pleading  presentation  of  Gospel  truth  from  a  lawyer ;  and  a 
police  magistrate  holding  meetings  in  the  Infirmary  with  the  old 
people  who  are  too  feeble  to  get  out  to  any  other  service. 

The  results  that  followed  his  flying  visits  to  some  of  the  smaller 
cities  were  sometimes  quite  remarkable.  At  Berwick-on-Tweed 
I  asked  whether  he  held  meetings  there.  "  Yes,  he  was  here 
for  one  day."  I  suggested  that  such  a  short  visit  did  not  leave 
much  of  a  mark,  probably.  "  Indeed  it  did,"  was  the  answer. 
"It  was  the  beginning  of  a  great  revival.  Berwick  has  never 
been  the  same  town  since."  In  many  places  the  special  revival 
interest — if  it  may  be  called  special  in  such  a  case — which  began 
with  his  meetings,  still  continues. 

"Evangelistic  meetings"  are  a  common  form  which  this  quick- 
ened interest  in  Christian  work  takes, — meetings  with  the  special 
aim  of  leading  sinners  to  Christ.  They  are  held  in  halls,  in 
churches,  in  tents ;  on  week-day  evenings  and  on  Sundays,  con- 
ducted sometimes  by  ministers  and  sometimes  by  laymen.  Edin- 
burgh seemed  to  be  full  of  them.  The  noon  prayer-meeting  is 
one  of  the  notable  results  of  the  work  in^the  latter  city.  It  is 
held  in  the  Free  Assembly  Hall,  and  attended  by  hundreds 
every  day.  The  ministers  and  members  of  all  denominations 
seem  to  be  most  thoroughly  and  delightfully  united  in  it.  It 
flows  on  full  to  the  banks  with  a  current  of  its  own.  No  one 
comes  for  the  sake  of  "keeping  it  up."  The  specific  requests 
for  jDrayer  that  are  sent  into  it  sometimes  reach  a  hundred  in 
one  da}^,  a  goodly  number  being  accompanied  by  thanksgiving 
for  answers  received  to  prayers  previously  solicited.     On  Satur- 


THE   WORK    IN    PHILADELPHIA.  71I 

days  it  takes  the  form  of  a  crowded  children's  meeting,  similar 
to  those  held  in  Dundee  and  other  cities  on  Saturday  afternoons. 

It  is  with  sincere  pleasure  that  we  present  the  views  of  the 
Rev.  Dr.  Richard  Newton  as  to  the  work  of  Messrs.  Moody  and 
-Sankey  in  Philadelphia.  Dr.  Newton  is  so  widely  known,  both 
in  this  country  and  abroad,  from  his  prominence  as  a  preacher 
to  children,  as  a  representative  clergyman  in  one  school  of  thought 
in  the  Episcopal  church,  and  as  editor  of  The  Simday  School 
World,  that  a  communication  from  him  will  always  command 
attention.  Moreover  as  chairman  of  the  committee  of  arrange- 
ments for  the  meetings  of  the  evangelists  in  Philadelphia,  he  has 
had  unequalled  opportunities  of  learning  the  truth  as  to  the  sub- 
ject on  which  he  now  writes. 

I  write,  by  request,  a  few  lines  expressive  of  my  own  impres- 
sions of  those  dear  brethren,  Messrs.  Moody  and  Sankey,  and 
of  the  work  which  they  are  now  carrying  on  in  this  great  city. 
The  details  of  their  work  are  reported  in  the  papers  every  day. 
I  need  not  dwell  upon  them.  The  striking  peculiarities  which 
mark  the  men  themselves  have  been  spoken  of,  again  and  again. 
We  are  all  familiar  with  these.  There  are  three  points  of  view 
from  which  these  men,  and  their  work,  have  most  strikingly 
impressed  me ;  and  on  each  of  these  I  wish  to  say  a  few 
words. 

The  first  of  these  is  the  illustration  afforded  in  the  zvork  of 
these  men  of  the  essential,  practical  union  existing  between  Protestant 
Christians.  Many  instances  of  this  might  be  referred  to  in  con- 
nection with  this  movement.  A  single  one  may  here  be  adduced. 
This  occurred  rather  in  the  preparation  for  the  work  than  in  the 
work  itself  A  part  of  this  preparation  was  to  have  a  class  of 
Christian  workers  trained  and  ready  to  go  into  the  inquiry-rooms 
and  render  service  there,  in  guiding  anxious  souls  to  Jesus. 
The  class  was  composed  of  between  three  and  four  hundred 
Christian  men  and  women.  These  were  gathered  from  the  dif- 
ferent churches  of  the  city,  known  to  be  in  sympathy  with  the 
evangelists  and  their  work.  They  were  the  best  specimens  of 
Christian  knowledge  and  experience  that  these  churches  could 


712  MOODY   AND   SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 

furnish.  And  when  convened  together  this  body  of  "  Christian 
Workers  "  made  up  a  deeply  interesting  assembly. 

The  preparation  of  these  workers  was  intrusted  to  a  committee 
of  four  ministers,  representing  the  leading  Protestant  denomina- 
tions. The  Rev.  Dr.  Breed  represented  the  Presbyterian  church ; 
the  Rev.  Dr.  J.  Wheaton  Smith,  the  Baptist ;  the  Eev.  Dr.  Hat- 
field, the  Methodist ;  and  the  present  writer  the  Episcopal  church. 
This  committee  met  the  workers  several  times  for  general  coun- 
sel and  directions  in  view  of  the  solemn  and  responsible  work  in 
which  they  were  to  engage.  At  these  meetings  each  member  of 
the  ministerial  committee  addressed  the  workers  in  turn.  There 
was  no  concert  or  agreement  beforehand,  as  to  the  points  to  be 
discussed,  and  yet  the  most  delightful  harmony  prevailed  through 
all  the  exercises.  Not  one  jarring  or  discordant  note  was  struck 
from  the  beginning  to  the  end.  it  a  stranger  had  been  present, 
he  might  have  listened  most  attentively  to  the  teachings  of  these 
men,  representing  the  leading  branches  of  the  Protestant  church ; 
and  for  the  life  of  him,  he  could  not  have  detected  the  slightest 
shade  of  difference  in  their  teaching.  From  anything  he  saw,  or 
heard  there,  he  could  not  have  told  who  was  the  Presbyterian, 
the  Baptist,  the  Methodist,  or  the  Episcopalian.  The  watchmen 
on  the  walls  of  Zion  were  seeing  eye  to  eye.  They  had  ap- 
proached so  near  to  Jesus  that  they  no  longer  saw  things  in  the 
decomposed  rays  of  their  separate  denominationalism.  The 
pure  white  light  that  shines  eternally  from  the  Sun  of  Righteous- 
ness was  shedding  down  its  beams  upon  them ;  and,  on  that 
grandest  of  all  questions,  "How  shall  a  man  be  just  with  God.?" 
they  were  made  "  one  in  Christ  Jesus."  And  whatever  helps  to 
'•  bring  us  thus  together  in  such  a  way  is  a  blessed  work,  and  one 
on  which  God's  blessing  must  certainly  rest. 

Another  interesting  point  of  view  from  which  to  contemplate 
the  work  of  these  men  is  in  its  influejice  for  good  07i  the  churches. 

We  see  several  things  from  which  this  influence  must  spring. 
One  of  these  is  the  marked  characteristic  of  these  men.  If 
asked  to  put  my  finger  on  this  peculiarity,  I  should  say  it  was 
great  singleness  of  aim,  a  remarkable   earnestness  and   intensity 


THE    WORK    IN    PHILADELPHIA.  713 

of  purpose.  And  to  be  brought  into  contact  with  such  men, 
especially  when,  as  in  the  present  case,  they  are  possessed  of 
great  magnetic  power,  cannot  fail  of  having  a  good  effect  on  all 
about  them.  We  hear  the  song  of  life  pitched  to  a  higher  key 
than  we  have  been  wont  to  sing  it ;  and  before  we  know  it,  we 
find  that  our  own  hearts  and  spirits  have  been  attuned  to  har- 
mony with  this  loftier  strain. 

Then,  again,  the  church  in  general  is  receiving  good  from  the 
effect  of  Mr.  Moody's  style  of  preaching  on  the  clergy.  The 
most  striking  peculiarity  that  marks  his  preaching,  is  its  simple, 
direct,  practical,  unceasing,  and  intensely  earnest  appeals  to  the 
Word  of  God.  And  greater  conformity  to  a  style  of  preaching, 
so  truly  primitive  and  apostolic,  in  the  pulpits  of  our  land,  would 
be  an  unspeakable  blessing  to  the  church.  It  would  be  to  put 
aside  what  the  Apostle  Paul  calls  "  the  enticing  words  of  man's 
wisdom,"  and  substituting  for  them  "the  demonstration  of  the 
Spirit  and  of  power."  This  is  .a  great  want  of  the  church  in  the 
present  day. 

Still  further,  these  evangelists  are.  doing  good  to  the  church 
by  promoting,  on  the  part  of  Christian  people,  a  more  careful 
and  diligent  study  of  the  Word  of  God.  All  the  services  in  which 
they  engage  lead  to  this  result.  This  is  especially  the  case  with 
the  Sunday-morning  services  for  Christian  workers.  I  wished, 
while  at  these  last-named  meetings,  that  every  member  of  my 
church  could  have  been  present,  for  I  was  satisfied  that  it  would 
have  done  them  all  great  good.  I  never  went  to  my  Lord's-day 
work  in  a  better  frame  of  mind  for  doing  it  than  on  the  mornings 
when  I  had  the  privilege  of  attending  those  meetings.  What  we 
need  among  our  church  members  in  these  days,  above  everything 
else,  is  greater  acquaintance  with  the  Scriptures.  And  these 
men  are  blessing  the  church  by  helping  to  lead  Christian  people 
on  to  just  this  result. 

The  other  point  of  interest  from  Vv^hich  to  contemplate  these 
evangelists  and  their  work,  is,  in  their  power  to  reach  and  bless  multi- 
tudes of  men  not  reached  or  blessed  by  the  ordinary  ministratiojis  of 
the  gospel.     This  is  seen  in  the  character  of  the  assemblies  they 


7 14  MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 

are  addressing  all  the  time.  It  is  seen  in  the  open  acknowledg- 
ment of  numbers  converted  at  these  meetings  ;  and  especially  in 
the  numerous  cases  of  those,  lost  to  their  families,  or  to  society, 
and  given  up  to  the  body-and-soul-destroying  tyranny  of  strong 
drink  ;  but  who,  through  God's  blessing  on  their  instrumentality, 
have  been  "  plucked  as  brands  from  the  burning,"  and  restored 
to  health  and  hope — to  peace,  to  comfort,  and  to  usefulness. 
The  recovery  of  one  such  would  be  a  sufficient  recompense  for  all 
the  time,  and  money,  and  labor  expended  in  this  work  since 
these  brethren  came  to  our  city.  But  when  this  one  comes  to  be 
multiplied  by  dozens  of  scores  of  rescued  men,  of  this  most  hope- 
less class  of  all  who  go  astray  ;  and  when  to  this  one  class  are 
added  large  numbers  of  those  in  every  other  class  of  transgress- 
ors, brought  back  to  God,  through  the  labors  of  these  evangelists, 
I  feel, 'for  myself^whatever  others  may  say,  or  do — that  I  can  do 
nothing  else  than  thank  God  for  sending  them  here  ;  and  pray 
Him  to  bless  them  more  and  more  while  they  tarry  among  us  ; 
and  then  to  follow  them  with  His  blessing,  wherever  else  it  may 
please  Him  to  lead  them. 

Mr.  Moody's  Winsomeness. 

Gentlemen  thus  write  from  Philadelphia : 

For  once  we  have  an  evangelist  who  is  an  evangelist.  As  such 
no  fault  can  be  found  in  him,  except  by  some  scurrilous  papers, 
rumdealers  and  infidels.  Many  thanks  to  Him  who  has  raised 
up  and  sent  to  us  Mr.  Moody.  No  crotchets,  or  hobbies,  or 
eccentricities,  or  taint  of  heresy,  or  anything  objectionable  to 
earnest  Christians — what  a  comfort  in  this,  to  begin  with.  But 
in  expounding  the  Book  he  is  mighty,  because  he  has  made  it  his 
study,  is  full  of  the  Holy  Ghost  and  of  faith,  and  has  strong  com- 
mon sense.  In  all  these  seven  weeks  of  labor  no  heresy-hunter 
has  even  smelled  any  unsoundness.  Plain,  pointed,  all-sided, 
tender  and  intensely  earnest,  he  reaches  every  case.  In  the 
power  of  illustration  he  has  no  equal  known  to  us — though  he  is 
not  conscious  of  any  scholastic  rules  or  professional  technical- 


THE    WORK    IN    PHILADELPHIA.  715 

ities.  For  once  we  have  an  evangelist  who  has  solved  that  ques- 
tion of  ministerial  conferences  and  Sunday-school  institutes, 
'■'' How  shall  we  reach  the  masses  V^  Over  eleven  thousand  peo- 
ple, of  all  classes,  crowd  the  great  tabernacle,  all  eager  to  get 
near  the  stand,  and  all  hang  upon  his  thrilling  words. 

Mr.  Moody  is  an  organizer  and  a  manager  in  the  best  sense. 
Classifying  Christian  workers  by  age  and  sex,  for  greater  effi- 
ciency, by  meeting  at  different  hours  and  places  adjoining,  and 
all  under  his  direction,  his  way  of  doing  things  wins  the  co-opera- 
tion of  all.  And  if,  as  rarely  is  the  case,  anything  falls  out  of 
line,  or  is  likely  to  disturb  the  harmony,  he  has  the  happy  faculty 
of  shutting  it  off  without  offence.  Hence  what  a  work  has  been 
done  in  seven  weeks!  No  exact  estimate  can  be  made,  of- 
course,  but  inquirers  have  gone  up  to  thousands.  And  the  good 
gained  to  the  church  members  in  attendance,  and  to  the  ministry, 
cannot  be  told.  At  this  point  the  interest  is  steadily  rising  and 
extending,  and  it  seems  vastly  important  that  Messrs.  Moody 
and  Sankey  continue  here  a  long  while  yet.  The  sweet  gospel- 
singer  has  also  won  the  hearts  of  the  people  by  his  unequalled 
singing,  and  his  loving  labors  in  the  inquiry-room. 

In  the  churches  that  are  enjoying  the  influence  of  these  great 
meetings,  the  good  will  long  be  felt,  and  the  fruits  seen. 

God  never  has  a  work  to  be  done  but  he  finds  a  worker  to  do 
it.  Commonly,  too,  his  choice  is  v.-hat  just  man's  would  not  be. 
Samuel  blundered  as  to  Israel's  first  king,  and  the  last  thought 
of  David,  the  chosen  one,  prefigured  the  mlschoices  of  the  kingly 
ones  by  men,  and  their  rectifications  by  the  Lord  of  the  kingdom 
ever  since.  John,  the  shaggy  rustic  of  the  wilderness,  with  loath- 
some "  locusts  and  wild  honey  "  for  "  his  meat,"  grimy  fishermen, 
and  a  hot-headed  youngster  fiercely  "  haling  men  and  women  to 
prison,"  who  of  the  "  wise  men  "  would  have  picked  these  as  the 
men  to  tell  the  world  the  great  redemption  story? 

They  were  chosen  and  did  it.  Seventy  3'ears  of  Sunday-school 
Vv^ork  has  drawn  Christians  into  the  general  use  of  what  are 
called  the  International  lessons,  which  are  simply  a  plan  by 
which  Christians  agree  to  open  to  the  same  chapter  and  study  it 


7l6  MOODY   AND   SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 

together,  each  Sabbath  of  the  year.  The  Christian  world  never 
before  by  their  own  choice  hit  upon  such  a  doing  together  of  any- 
thijig.  It  has  pleased  Jesus  the  king,  and  throughout  the  world 
he  has  drawn  the  heart  of  man  to  the  divine  Word  in  a  wonderful 
manner.  He  has  anointed  ones  in  the  service.  This  humbly 
born,  illiterate  Mr.  Moody  is  a  "  chosen  vessel,"  or  witness  to  the 
treasures  hid  in  the  book  of  grace.  He  didn't  set  out  to  do  this 
work.  He  doesn't  claim  to  be  doing  it  beyond  all  other  men.  I 
think  he  is  doing  it,  though  he  may  not  know  it,  for  while  aiming 
at  and  attaining  other  wonderful  work — using  this  as  a  means 
only — he  is  educating  millions  in  a  way  of  study,  which  will  go 
on  after  all  his  other  work  ends,  and  outgo  it  in  real  value. 

Look  at  this  assembly,  seven  or  eight  thousand,  at  early  morn- 
ing of  Sabbath,  or  at  4  p.m.  of  a  week  day ;  sitting  around  him  in 
far  more  reverent  intensity  of  heed  than  the  disciples  of  Socrates 
or  Plato  on  the  banks  of  the  Illyssus  ever  showed ;  than  any 
group  of  pupils  in  any  "  Divinity  School "  I  have  seen ;  no 
trifling,  no  fun-making,  no  dawdling,  as  in  class-rooms ;  but  the 
eager,  diligent  thousands  hearken  and  turn  to  chapter  and 
verse,  and  make  notes  of  his  words,  as  of  no  professors  of 
exegesis  and  sacred  literature  I  have  yet  seen. 

The  value  of  the  work  is  not  alone,  not  mainly,  in  what  he 
does  himself,  but  more  in  what  he  is  training  them  to  do.  These 
may  show  what  that  is. 

(^.)  A  supreme  aim  to  push  the  divine  Word  up  to  the  souls  of 
men  ;  to  touch  all  men  with  God's  thought  in  the  Word,  whatever 
that  is.  Face  to  face  with  God,  his  friend  or  his  foe,  is  the  prac- 
tical fact  in  this  way  of  using  the  Bible.  The  narrative  ;  the 
text ;  the  setting  is  second ;  how  to  get  at  the  soul  through  it, 
is  first.  No  matter  for  the  stor}-,  or  the  style,  or  the  commen- 
taries on  it.  Does  it  stop  you  from  sinning  and  stir  you  up 
to  do  what  God  would  have  you  do  ?  The  persons  in  the  narra- 
tive were  good  or  bad,  wise  or  foolish,  as  may  be ;  they  are  there 
to  carry  God's  question  to  you  :  Are  you  fleeing  from  the  wrath 
to  come,  and  doing  God's  bidding  to  you  ?    To  save  souls,  to 


THE    WORK    IN    PHILADELPHIA.  717 

make  alive  in  Christ,  is  the  ever-visible  aim  in  the  reading,  and 
of  his  upspringing,  comments  as  he  reads. 

(d.)  Vivid  personation  marks  these  readings.  Take  Lot  and 
Peter.  A  quick-handed  crayonist  could  put  much  of  the  "  read- 
ing" on  a  board  as  it  went  on.  It  would  be  Lot  stealing  a  look 
"  toward  Sodom,"  seeming  not  to  see  it ;  the  glamour  of  its 
towers,  warehouses,  etc.,  stealing  his  heart.  He  gets  there ; 
makes  money ;  gets  into  city  office  ;  is  rich.  See  him  strutting 
about    Sodom :    boys   whispering,    "  There   goes    rich    Mr.  Lot, 

president  of bank!"     Been  any  Congress  he'd  been  Hon. 

John  Lot,  M.  C.  I  Sounds  well.  He's  done  well  for  himself!" 
Next  he  is  seen  lolling  in  the  "  best  carriage  in  Sodom,"  with 
wife  and  daughters,  going  to  opera  or  theatre,  etc.  Religion 
dead  in  his  soul;  "just  like  you,  and  you,  worldly  professor, 
getting  the  world  and  losing  your  soul."  Then  two  angels  come. 
They  will  put  up  with  him.  He's  one  of  the  chief  men  of 
Sodom  now.  Why  not  have  any  distinguished  strangers  ?  Ah  ! 
he  didn't  guess  their  errand.  They  tell  him  ;  ask  if  he  has  any 
other  but  those  in  the  house.  Then  the  mob ;  the  stroke  of 
blindness;  and,  because  they  can't  see,  he  gets  through  the  crowd 
to  houses  of  sons-in-law.  See  him  ring  door-bell ;  window  opens, 
with  "Who's  there ?  "  The  tidings  ;  the  call,  "  Up,  flee  for  life." 
They  laugh  at  him;  "mocked  him;"  he's  out  of  his  head. 
There's  no  danger  I  Sodom  never  had  better  times  or  stood 
firmer.  He^s  lost  his  witness  ;  men  don't  believe  a  word  he  says, 
because  he's  been  living  as  much  in  the  world  as  they  have  ;  his 
testimony  is  good  for  nothing,  just  like  so  many  here.  Then  the 
storm  ;  the  flight ;  "  the  sin  of  Sodom,"  etc. 

Peter  was  most  effectively  sketched  ;  with  more  of  system  and 
naturalness  than  any  other  I  have  noted. 

He  is  fishing;  is  called;  leaves  all;  but  as  soon  as  he  has 
made  himself  over  to  Jesus,  goes  back  to  his  business.  [Con- 
verts who  would  jump  from  the  inquiry-room  into  the  pulpit,  etc., 
had  a  plain  speaking  to  at  this  point]  His  call  when  the  busi- 
ness was  good— nets  full — (costs  to  be  a  Christian);  he  gets  into 
"  Doubting  Castle  " — trying  to  walk  the  water — "  most  Christians 


7l8  MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 

live  in  that  castle."  On  the  Mount  of  Transfiguration  he  started 
"  toward  Rome  " — a  touch  of  High  Churchism  got  into  him. 
He  would  have  three  tabernacles :  one  for  Moses,  one  for  Elias, 
one  for  Christ — all  alike,  bring  Christ  down  to  their  "old  saints'  " 
level !  Instantly  they  were  gone  !  Christ  alone  with  them  ;  a 
voice  of  thunder,  "  hear  him  !  hear  him  !  " 

This  was  a  masterstroke  in  the  reading.  With  avv'ful  emphasis, 
"  hear  him  "  rang  over  the  throng.  Peter's  fall  was  divided  into 
six  steps — each  a  kind  of  medallion  scene  around  the  central 
figure,  which  grew  into  bold  and  powerful  form  as  he  "  read  him 
out."  (i.)  The  feet-washing  refusal;  didn't  know  how  dirty 
travel  in  the  world  had  made  him.  (2.)  Self-confidence  ;  "  If  all 
forsake,  not  I,"  etc.  (3.)  Got  asleep  ;  "  could  not  watch  one 
hour."  Malchus  and  his  lost  ear,  or  a  half-awake  Christian's 
blunder,  was  a  telling  point.  (4.)  "  Followed  afar  off"  (5.)  Got 
into  bad  company ;  by  the  fire  in  the  hall.  (6.)  Lost  his 
temper ;  swore,  etc.  This  detail  is  given  to  show  the  method 
the  revival  Bible-study  is  taking.  It  is  simply  the  Bible  made 
alive  ! 

Very  ragged  and  inaccurate  many  of  the  chalk-marks  are, 
some  almost  grotesque,  but  life  is  in  them ;  Christ  is  in  them ; 
the  way  to  be  saved  is  seen  by  them  as  by  no  other  use  of  Scrip- 
ture. On  this  method  the  Bible  takes  the  hearer  along  with 
itself;  it  does  not  come  at  him,  corner  him,  and  "hew  him  in 
pieces,"  as  in  some  uses  of  it ;  but  it  fills  him  with  itself,  and  he 
walks  in  the  light,  seeing  by  it  his  sins,  and  the  blessed  Jesus 
ever  so  full  of  waiting  love  and  mercy  toward  him. 

Successors,  more  accurate,  scholarly,  and,  we  hope,  as  full  of 
Christ,  will  carry  on  this  raising  to  life  of  the  Word  of  life  in  the 
manner  Mr.  Moody  has  so  effectively  begun.  "  Thy  Word  is 
truth." 

It  is  a  wonderful  record  which  is  made  of  the  meetings  led  by 
Messrs.  Moody  and  Sankey  in  this  city  up  to  the  present  week. 
Including  the  young  men's  and  3'oung  women's  meetings,  there 
have  been  in  all  about  250  different  services  of  the  series,  with 
an  aggregate  attendance  at  them  of  perhaps  900,000  persons.     It 


THE   WORK    IN    PHILADELPHIA.  719 

is  thought  by  the  committee  in  charge  that  at  least  300,000  dif- 
ferent persons  have  in  all  been  at  these  meetings.  To  the  last 
the  interest  in  the  services  has  deepened,  and  the  attendance  at 
them  has  increased.  The  meetings  of  last  Sunday,  at  the  begin- 
ning of  the  ninth  and  closing  week,  were  as  crowded  as  any  from 
the  first  of  the  series.  Very  many  Christians  have  been  quick- 
ened to  new  activity  in  the  work  of  the  Lord,  and  very  many 
sinners  have  been  led  to  yield  themselves  to  a  waiting  Saviour, 
through  God's  blessing  on  these  services.  The  good  results  of 
the  meetings  are  not  to  end  with  the  removal  of  the  evangelists 
from  Philadelphia.  There  is  a  new  Christian  life  in  this  city, 
manifested  in  a  spirit  of  union,  and  in  zeal  and  heartiness  in  all 
religious  endeavors  beyond  anything  hitherto  known  here.  Un- 
mistakable evidence  of  this  is  given  in  the  varied  exercises  of 
the  closing  week  of  these  evangelistic  meetings.  The  brightest 
anticipations  of  friends  of  this  work  at  its  beginning  are  already 
more  than  realized  in  Philadelphia. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  that  the  closing  meeting  of  the  course 
was  densely  packed  by  the  best  people  of  the  city,  while  thou- 
sands were  unable  to  gain  admittance.  Faithful  to  Christ  and  to 
the  truth  he  wins  the  confidence  of  good  men,  and  more  than  all 
binds  them  closer  to  the  Lord  and  to  duty. 

Mr.  Sankey  Answers  a  Question. 

"  How  should  music  be  conducted  in  the  Lord's  work?"  asks 
one.  Before  we  give  his  reply  we  insert  the  crisp  remark  of  a 
veteran  pastor  : 

"  There  are  these  three,"  said  Dr.  Plumer,  at  one  of  the  Moody 
meetings,  "  faith,  hope,  charity,  but  the  greatest  of  these  is  char- 
ity, for  charity  endureth  forever.  There  are  these  three,  prayer, 
the  sacraments,  praise,  but  the  greatest  of  these  is  praise,  for 
praise  endureth  forever." 

I  can  scarcely  expect  that  my  view^s  will  be  accepted  by  all 
singers  ;  but  my  opinions  are  based  upon  the  results  of  more 
than  fifteen  years'  personal  experience  in  conducting  the  service 


720  MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 

of  praise  in  various  branches  of  the  Lord's  work  in  this  country 
and  other  lands. 

I  will  speak  first  of  the  music  in  the  church,  which  should  be 
conducted  by  a  good,  large  choir  of  Christian  singers,  who  would 
encourage  the  congregation  to  join  heartily  with  them  in  the 
songs  of  Zion,  instead  of  monopolizing  the  service  themselves, 

I  would  not  have  unconverted  persons  leading  the  praise  of  the 
people  of  God.  I  am  fully  persuaded  that  four-fifths  of  the  tra- 
ditional trouble  with  choirs  arises  from  having  unconverted  peo- 
ple conducting  this  part  of  the  service  of  the  sanctuaiy.  If  I 
could  not  get  a  converted  choir,  I  would  go  back  to  the  good  old 
ways  of  our  forefathers,  and  select  the  best  Christian  man  in  the 
church  who  had  a  good  voice,  and  put  him  up  in  front  of  the  con- 
gregation, and  let  him  lead  as  best  he  could,  and  I  am  sure  the 
people  would  join  more  heartily  under  his  leading  than  they 
would  with  a  choir  who  are  anxious  to  show  how  well  they  could 
execute  some  new  tune  which  they  have  just  found.  But  there 
are  very  few  churches,  if  any,  in  which  a  good  Christian  choir 
may  not  be  formed,  and  no  one  will  doubt  that  when  all  the  parts 
of  our  sweet  church  songs  are  sung  from  the  heart,  and  the 
words  of  the  hymn  are  distinctly  pronounced,  it  is  much  sweeter 
than  where  all  are  singing  in  unison. 

I  would  have  the  singers  and  the  organ  in  front  of  the  congre- 
gation, near  the  minister  or  speaker,  and  would  insist  on  deport- 
ment by  the  singers  in  keeping  with  the  services  of  the  house  of 
God.  The  conduct  of  the  choir  during  the  service  will  have  very 
much  to  do  with  the  success  of  the  preaching.  Instead  of  whisper- 
ing, writing  notes,  passing  books,  and  the  like,  the  choir  should 
give  the  closest  attention  to  all  the  services,  especially  to  the 
preaching  of  the  Word.  There  should  be  the  most  intimate 
understanding  between  the  leader  of  the  singing  and  the  pastor. 
When  new  tunes  are  to  be  introduced  into  the  church  they  might 
be  sung  frequently  by  the  choir  alone,  before  the  regular  services 
commence,  as  voluntaries  ;  thus  the  people  would  become  some- 
what familiar  with  the  music,  and  when  it  is  introduced  into 
the  regular  service  they  would  be  able  to  take  up  the  tune  and 


THE    WORK    IN    PHILADELPHIA.  721 

sing  it  with  pleasure  and  profit.  New  hymns  and  tunes  should 
be  introduced  occasionally,  but  great  damage  is  often  done  by 
injudicious  choir  leaders  trying  to  introduce  a  new  tune  at  every 
service. 

The  congregation  should  be  exhorted  by  the  pastor  to  join 
heartily  in  the  singing,  and  if  a  choir-master  j^ersisted  in  bring- 
ing out  new-fangled  tunes  in  which  the  people  could  not  join 
during  the  hour  of  public  worship,  he  should  be  set  aside  and  his 
place  supplied  by  some  one  who  would  not  be  so  ambitious  to 
show  off  how  well  the  choir  could  perform,  but  who  would  be 
glad  to  have  all  the  people  join  in  the  good  old  songs  of  Zion, 
which  will  be  loved  and  sung  until 

"All  the  ransomed  church  of  God 
Are  saved  to  sia  no  more." 

The  whole  question  of  the  singing  should  be  kept  in  the  hands 
of  the  office-bearers  of  the  church,  and  the  choir  should  never  be 
encouraged  to  entertain  the  idea  that  they  are  an  independent 
organization,  with  power  to  levy  war  upon  the  church  and  bring 
it  to  terms,  or  to  secede  from  it  and  cause  a  disruption.  Praying 
singers  are  likely  to  be  loyal  to  the  church,  and  not  to  give 
trouble. 

The  singing  in  the  regular  prayer-meeting  should  be  of  the 
most  spirited  and  spiritual  character,  and  should  be  led  by  a 
single  voice,  usually  without  instrumental  accompaniment,  so  that 
no  restraints  of  any  kind  may  interfere  with  the  worship  of  even 
the  oldest  saint,  who  might  not  be  able  to  sing  in  just  such  time 
and  voice  as  would  be  expected  were  the  instrument  used. 

The  singing  of  long  hymns  should  be  avoided.  Two  or  three 
verses  well  sung  and  bearing  upon  the  key-note  or  subject  of  the 
meeting  will  do  more  good  than  a  dozen  verses  poorly  sung. 
Old  familiar  hymns  and  tunes  should  be  used,  with  now  and  then 
a  Sunday-school  song,  so  that  the  children  may  feel  that  they 
have  a  part  in  the  prayer-meeting  as  well  as  in  the  Sunday-school. 
The  young  should  be  encouraged  to  attend  the  prayer-meetings 
to  assist  in  the  singing. 


722  •       MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA, 

Nothing  will  kill  a  prayer-meeting  more  effectual!}^  than  poor, 
drav/ling,  lifeless  singing;  while  many  a  poor  prayer-meeting  has 
been  saved  by  good  and  spirited  singing. 

The  American  Sunday-school  has  done  more  to  make  us  a  sing- 
ing people  than  all  other  causes  combined,  and  to  attempt  giving 
suggestions  as  to  how  its  singing  should  be  conducted,  may  seem 
rather  venturesome.  But  as  there  are  schools  where,  for  want  of 
a  good  singing-leader,  there  is  a  sad  deficiency  in  this  most 
delightful  service,  I  may  be  pardoned  for  dropping  a  few  sugges- 
tions for  their  benefit. 

In  the  first  place,  you  should  have  a  lady  or  a  gentleman  who 
can  play  the  cabinet-organ.  If  you  have  not  such  an  instrument 
already,  I  would  advise  you  to  get  one  as  soon  as  possible.  Let 
the  leader,  seated  at  the  organ  before  the  school,  with  a  few  good 
voices  near  by,  conduct  the  singing  in  a  hearty  and  spirited  man- 
ner, inviting  and  urging  all  the  teachers  and  scholars  to  take  part 
in  it.  You  will  have  great  difficulty  in  getting  the  children  to 
sing  at  all,  if  the  tunes  are  allowed  to  drag,  A  word  now  and 
then  as  to  the  meaning  of  the  hymn,  a  few  directions  as  to  the 
way  in  which  it  should  be  sung,  and  hints  as  to  the  correct  pro- 
nunciation of  the  words,  will  add  much  to  the  interest  and  profit 
of  the  singing. 

Do  not  let  the  school  run  into  a  singing-class.  See  that  all  the 
hymns  have  a  bearing  upon  the  lesson  of  the  day. 

When  union  religious  services  are  held,  the  singing  should 
occupy  a  prominent  place,  and  it  should  be  judiciously  conduct- 
ed. A  union  choir  should  be  formed,  composed  of  the  best  singers 
from  the  different  denominations  in  the  community.  The  pastors 
should  select  the  persons  from  their  own  choirs  or  congregations, 
and  send  in  their  names  to  the  person  or  persons  selected  to  have 
charge  of  the  singing.  Frequent  meetings  of  these  singers  should 
be  held  for  practice.  Such  hymns  and  tunes  should  be  used  as 
are  easily  caught  by  the  people,  and  such  only  as  contain  the 
simple  gospel ;  those  which  are  full  of  invitations  to  Christ  rather 
than  to  creed. 

All  these  preparatory  meetings  for  practice  should  be  opened 


THE    WORK    IN    PHILADELPHIA. 


723 


and  closed  with  prayer.  Moreover  each  singer  should  be  im- 
pressed with  the  importance  of  bearing  himself  in  the  most  exem- 
plary manner.  Especially  should  this  be  demanded  from  each 
singer  during  the  time  of  the  public  services,  for  inattention  to 
the  preaching  on  the  part  of  members  of  the  choir  will  cause 
more  or  less  inattention  in  the  congregation. 

The  time  and  tune  should  be  led  by  the  organ.  The  organist 
should  first  play  a  measure  or  two,  to  indicate  the  time  and  move- 
ment. At  the  close  of  this  all  should  join  heartily  in  the  singing, 
leaving  no  place  for  the  appearance  of  the  quite  useless  appen- 
dage of  too  many  religious  gatherings— a  fussy  singing-leader. 
During  the  public  service  I  would  not  have  the  leader  stand  up 
before  the  audience,  and  with  a  stick  or  a  book  beat  the  time  with 
such  fearful  gesticulations  as  to  call  the  attention  of  the  people 
from  the  singing  to  himself.  Let  there  be  nothing  about  the 
choir  to  divert  the  audience  from  their  part  of  the  worship.  All 
should  try  and  understand  the  sentiment  of  the  hymn  or  sacred 
song,  and  enter  into  it  with  heart  and  voice,  in  a  prayerful  frame 
of  mind,  silently  asking  God  to  bless  the  song  to  every  soul. 

I  am  persuaded  that  much  interest  may  be  added  to  evangel- 
istic services  by  the  singing  occasionally  of  some  sweet  gospel 
hymn  by  a  single  voice.  If  the  voice  be  strong  enough,  and  the 
pronunciation  of  the  words  be  clear  and  distinct,  and  the  singer 
be  full  of  f^iith  that  God  will  bless  his  message,  I  have  no  doubt 
that  many  will  accept  the  "gospel  in  the  song"  who  would,  per- 
haps, otherwise  remain  unreached  by  the  truth.  I  would  not 
permit  solo  singing,  or  any  other  kind  of  singing,  to  take  the  place 
of  the  preached  Word  ;  but  solo  singing,  properly  conducted, 
may  be  a  means  of  attracting  people  to  the  services  who  would 
not  have  come  simply  to  hear  a  sermon  in  the  usual  way. 

What  is  most  needed  in  all  these  things  is  that  they  be  at- 
tempted in  prayer  and  faith,  and  to  the  glory  of  God.  Ministers 
should  pray  for  the  singers  and  the  singing.  The  singers  should 
pray  for  themselves  and  their  work.  Thus  may  a  bond  of  union 
be  formed  in  this  service  which  will  be  owned  of  God,  and  thereby 
will  the  world  be  led  to  see  still  more  and  more  of  the  power 
of  sacred  song  in  winning  souls  to  Jesus. 


724  MOODY   AND   SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 

At  an  immense  praise-meeting  presided  over  by  him,  additional 
words  were  spoken  worthy  of  being  read  by  many  ten  thousands. 

Mr.  Sankey  said:  "There  has  been  running  through  my  heart 
since  coming  here  this  evening,  a  sort  of  mournful  note  along 
with  these  notes  of  joy.  It  is  that  these  meetings  are  soon  to 
pass  away — that  this  is  the  last  praise-meeting  we  shall  probably 
join  together  in  on  earth.  But  with  that  thought  comes  this 
blessed  thought,  that  by  and  by,  with  this  large  company,  and 
wdth  other  large  gatherings  we  have  met  elsewhere,  we  shall  meet 
to  sing  a  better  song  than  we  have  ever  sung  on  earth.  We  are 
glad  of  the  Christian  hope  and  assurance  we  have  that  we  shall 
stand  with  that  company,  and  our  song  shall  be,  'Hallelujah,  'tis 
done ;  I  believe  on  the  Son ;  I  am  saved  by  the  blood  of  the 
crucified  One.'  I  would  to  God  that  while  we  are  praying,  sing- 
ing, and  speaking  to-night,  souls  may  decide  for  heaven.  We  are 
fast  moving  on  to  judgment.  May  God  help  us  all  to  believe  on 
Jesus,  so  that  when  we  stand  before  the  presence  of  the  King  we 
may  be  able  to  join  in  the  new  song  of  Moses  and  the  Lamb." 

Mr.  Sankey  and  the  congregation  then  sang,  "  'Tis  the  promise 
of  God  full  salvation  to  give." 

Rev.  Dr.  McCook  spoke  of  the  way  Messrs.  Moody  and  San- 
key had  overcome  the  prejudices  of  the  people  of  Scotland  against 
the  organ  and  songs.  When  Mr.  Sankey  showed  them  he  was 
singing  the  Gospel,  it  struck  some  of  the  people  as  a  novelt}^,  but 
it  was  no  new  thing.  It  was  only  a  part  of  the  old,  old  way  of 
declaring  the  old,  old  story.  He  quoted  several  texts  of  Scripture 
to  prove  that  there  was  a  mij^hty  influence  in  Christian  song  to 
retain  in  the  minds  of  the  people  the  truths  of  the  Gospel. 

Mr.  Sankey  said :  "I  have  received  so  many  cheering  letters  of 
how  these  little  hymns  are  blessed,  that  I  am  encouraged  to  go  on 
with  this  speaking  to  one  another  in  hymns  and  songs.  It  is 
wonderful  how  these  hymns  have  been  spread  all  over  the  world 
these  last  two  years.  After  our  work  in  London  was  over,  I  had 
twelve  days  to  spend  before  sailing  for  home.  I  thought  I  would 
slip  off  where  I  would  get  rest,  where  I  would  not  be  asked  to 
sing  or  even  talk  about  these  meetings.     I  went  to  Calais,  thence 


THE    WORK    IN    PHILADELPHIA.  725 

to  Paris,  and  on  to  Switzerland.  I  went  to  the  capital  of  Swit- 
zerland, near  the  foot  of  the  Alps.  The  evening  I  got  there,  the 
first  thing  I  heard  under  my  window  was  the  most  beautiful  vol- 
ume of  song  that  I  almost  ever  heard.  I  looked  out  of  the  win- 
dow and  saw  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  people  singing  this 
sweet  hymn  :  '  Safe  in  the  arms  of  Jesus,  safe  on  his  gentle  breast.' 
It  had  been  translated  into  their  language.  I  recognized  the 
words.  I  spoke  to  them  through  my  friend  as  an  interpreter. 
The  next  evening  they  were  requested  to  attend  a  large  gather- 
ing in  the  capital  of  that  country.  I  promised  to  go  down  and 
sing  a  hymn  or  two.  The  old  French  church  was  packed,  and 
people  were  standing  in  the  street.  These  people  sang  nearly  all 
the  hymns  that  you  sing  to-day.  They  had  been  translated  and 
sung  for  months.  I  heard  the  children  sing  them  in  the  Alps. 
As  I  returned  through  another  portion  of  France,  I  heard  those 
hymns  sung  on  board  the  railway  trains,  and  I  thought,  '  What 
shall  the  harvest  be  ? '  You  do  not  know  how  many  souls  have 
been  rested  by  hearing  '  Safe  in  the  arms  of  Jesus.'  Then,  I 
said,  by  God's  grace  I  will  keep  on  singing,  and  I  will  encourage 
every  other  person  who  has  a  voice  to  keep  on  singing  these  sweet 
stories  of  Jesus  and  His  love,  and  somebody  will  be  blessed,  just 
as  somebody  is  being  blessed  here.  May  God  bless  the  singing 
of  these  hymns  throughout  the  earth  until  we  meet  to  sing  a 
better  song  in  heaven." 

Rev.  Dr.  Sheppard  said :  "We  owe  a  special  debt  of  gratitude 
to  God  that  in  His  good  providence  He  has  made  the  service  of 
song  so  efficient  in  publishing  the  Gospel.  When  I  first  had  the 
pleasure  of  being  acquainted  with  Mr.  Sankey  I  told  him  he  had 
actualized  an  idea  of  the  Rev.  Albert  Barnes.  Mr.  Barnes  said 
to  me  a  few  weeks  before  his  death,  if  he  could  sing  as  well  as  I 
could,  he  would  not  preach  but  would  sing  the  Gospel  in  the 
pulpit ;  for  he  thought  he  could  accomplish  more  by  singing  than 
preaching  it.  The  first  song  I  heard  Mr.  Sankey  sing  was  :  '  Je- 
sus passeth  by,'  and  I  said  that  was  the  most  eloquent  sermon  I 
ever  heard ;  it  spoke  of  the  opportunity  present — soon  to  pass — 
and  actually  passed.     It  was  most  impressing  and  powerful." 


726  MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 

Mr.  Sankey  rendered  the  flivorite  hymn,  "Jesus  of  Nazareth 
passeth  by."  His  voice,  in  the  Hnes  "  Oh,  all  ye  heavy-laden, 
come,"  and  afterward  in  "  Too  late !  too  late !  will  be  the  cry, 
Jesus  of  Nazareth  has  passed  by,"  became  so  low,  broken,  full  of 
pity  and  clear  withal,  that  dozens  of  jDeople  half  rose  from  their 
seats  and  bent  forward  toward  the  stage  as  if  by  magnetic  attrac- 
tion. Mr.  Sankey's  singing  was  as  fine  as  ever,  and  it  seems 
strange  that  any  one  v/ho  listens  to  his  beautiful  songs  of  praise 
is  not  touched  and  brought  to  look  upon  the  question  of  eternal 
life  as  the  most  important  that  could  be  presented.  Men  have 
risen  for  prayer  who  have  stated  that  they  were  brought  to  realize 
their  lost  condition  and  to  seek  salvation  through  the  hymns  that 
they  have  heard  sung. 

Mr.  Moody  read  the  35th  chapter  of  Isaiah,  after  which  he 
made  an  earnest  pra3'er,  thanking  God  for  the  rich  blessings  that 
he  has  showered  upon  the  people.  Reports  were  then  received. 
Mr.  Moody  first  made  the  report  as  to  the  women's  meetings.  He 
stated  that  they  are  very  interesting,  and  God  is  showing  his 
power  greatly.  The  prayers  of  mothers  and  wives  are  being 
amazingly  answered.     The  87th  hymn  was  then  sung, 

Lord,  I  hear  of  showers  of  blessings. 

The  reports  were  then  continued  as  follows :  Mr.  George  H. 
Stuart  reported  a  great  awakening  in  the  First  Reformed  Presby- 
terian Church.  He  said  that  the  pastor  had  taken  a  great  inter- 
est in  the  revival  services,  and  that  since  they  have  commenced 
his  only  son  has  given  his  heart  to  Christ.  There  are  now  twenty- 
three  young  men  who  are  living  witnesses  of  what  Jesus  is  dcing 
in  that  church,  and  while  he  could  not  give  the  number  of  ladies 
who  have  professed  Christ,  he  would  say  that  there  have  been 
quite  a  large  number.  Several  young  men  in  his  store  had  come 
out  on  the  Lord's  side. 

Mr.  Rowland  represented  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Associa- 
tion. He  said  that  the  prayer-meetings  on  Saturday  evenings 
are  largely  attended,  and  that  there  is  an  average  of  twenty  young 
men  who  at  every  meeting  rise  for  prayer  and  express  a  desire 


THE    WORK    IN    PHILADELPHIA.  727 

to  come  to  Christ.  There  have  been  twenty-seven  drinking  men 
converted.  Meetings  have  been  inaugurated  by  the  young  con- 
verts among  the  workmen  at  the  Gas  Works  and  the  seamen  on 
board  of  the  receiving-ship.  He  also  stated  that  a  good  work  is 
being  done  by  the  Yoke  Fellows,  and  that  bands  of  workers 
were  going  out,  holding  meetings,  and  bringing  men  to  the 
Saviour. 

Professor  William  Johnston  followed  by  stating  that  a  great 
awakening  was  going  on  in  a  small  mission  near  Germantown, 
and  that  on'  last  Tuesday  evening  some  twelve  or  fifteen  arose 
for  prayer,  and  before  leaving  the  place  gave  their  hearts  to 
Christ.  On  Sunday  a  meeting  was  held  at  the  House  of  Correc- 
tion, the  result  of  which  was  most  encouraging.  Over  one  hun- 
dred persons  arose  for  prayer.  At  the  Bethany  Presbyterian 
Church,  at  the  request  of  the  pastor,  he  reported  the  most  happy 
results.  At  the  last  communioii  twenty-nine  persons  arose  for 
prayer. 

Mr.  Wannamaker  made  a  very  encouraging  report  of  what  the 
Lord  is  doing  at  the  young  men's  meetings.  He  said  that  they 
are  largely  attended,  and  that  nightly  a  score  or  more  men  rise 
for  prayers  and  are  led  to  Christ.  The  meetings  are  remarkable 
for  their  length,  and  though  it  has  been  his  effort  to  close  them 
at  II  o'clock,  it  is  often  midnight  before  some  of  the  young  men 
are  able  to  get  away.  He  also  said  that  many  had  been  turned 
to  God  through  the  singing  of  Mr.  Sanke}-,  and  often  when  Mr. 
Moody  feared  that  he  had  foiled  in  his  efforts  to  reach  the  hearts 
of  the  people,  a  number  ha\'e  testified  that  the  sermons  had 
induced  them  to  take  a  stand  for  Christ. 

Rev.  Dr.  Hatfield  followed,  and  said  that  he  had  been  greatly 
encouraged  with  the  meetings,  and  had  given  them  very  much  of 
his  time.  He  spoke  of  the  great  work  that  is  being  done  among 
the  women,  and  said  the  results  are  astonishing.  He  then  referred 
to  the  young  men's  meetings,  and  stated  that  he  had  seen  as  many 
as  fifty  rise  for  prayer.  The  number  of  conversions  are  surpris- 
ing, and,  do  what  he  would,  he  never  could  get  away  until  a  very 
late  hour. 


728  MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 

Mr.  Moody  said  that  he  had  received  a  letter  from  a  young 
convert,  a  resident  of  Cedarville,  New  Jersey,  who,  several  weeks 
ago,  while  on  a  visit  to  this  city,  attended  a  meeting  in  the  depot 
and  was  converted.  He  went  home  and  opened  a  prayer-meeting 
in  a  school-house,  which  has  been  greatly  blessed.  The  meet- 
ings are  still  being  held,  and  are  being  attended  with  glorious 
results. 

A  school-teacher  from  the  country  during  the  Christmas  holi- 
days was  converted  at  one  of  the  meetings,  and  he  writes  that 
after  he  got  home  he  gathered  the  boys  together  and  had  a 
prayer-meeting.  Several  have  since  been  held,  all  of  which,  have 
been  greatly  blessed.  On  Monday  last  a  lady  came  in  the 
women's  prayer-meeting  and  was  converted.  She  said  that  the 
evening  before  her  husband  had  attended  the  meeting  in  the 
depot  and  given  his  heart  to  Christ.  The  conversion  was  brought 
about  in  this  manner :  The  two  had  engaged  in  a  quarrel,  during 
which  their  little  girl,  unobserved  by  them,  on  the  porch  knelt 
down  and  prayed  for  them.  A  neighbor  noticed  the  child,  and 
went  into  the  house  and  told  the  parents.  The  quarrel  ceased, 
and  that  night  the  father  went  to  the  meeting  at  the  depot,  and 
there  was  converted.  He  returned  home  and  set  up  the  family 
altar.  The  result  was  that  the  wife  and  mother  the  next  day 
attended  the  meeting  and  was  also  converted.  The  family  are 
now  rejoicing  in  the  Savioxir. 

Mr.  John  Wannamaker,  who  has  so  efficiently  presided  over 
the  young  men's  meetings,  made  a  very  encouraging  report  of  the 
work  that  has  been  done  and  is  being  done  for  the  conversion  of 
souls  to  Christ.  He  said  that  it  was  difficult  for  him  to  know- 
just  where  to  commence,  and  what  to  say  in  the  limited  time 
afforded  him  to  speak.  The  churches  in  Y^?hich  the  meetings 
have  been  held  have  been  crowded,  and  very  many  interesting 
incidents  have  taken  place.  On  Sunday  night,  in  Rev.  Dr. 
McCook's  church,  between  four  hundred  and  five  hundred  young 
men  on  their  knees  consecrated  themselves  afresh  to  the  Mas- 
ter's work,  and  nearly  all  of  those  young  men  were  converted 
during  the  past  eight  weeks.    He  had  never  witnessed  such  meet- 


THE    WORK    IN    PHILADELPHIA.  729 

ings,  and  on  earth  he  never  expected  to  be  closer  to  God  than 
he  has  been  while  in  attendance  upon  them.  Every  night  men 
ha\'e  stood  up  and  given  their  hearts  to  Christ,  and  are  now 
laboring  hard  for  the  conversion  of  all  out  of  the  fold.  A  recent 
convert  who  once  had  been  a  Christian,  but  who  had  fallen 
through  the  power  of  strong  drink,  related  his  experience.  He 
had  lost  two  fortunes,  and  all  his  friends  had  left  him,  but  through 
the  efforts  of  Mr.  Moody  he  had  been  again  brought  into  the 
fold. 

Mr.  Wannamaker  said  he  did  not  know  how  he  could  get  into 
words  the  report  he  desired  to  make  of  the  young  men's  meeting. 
He  wished  he  could  put  it  in  like  the  beggar  who  came  to  the 
door  and  said  :  "Please  ma'am,  give  me  a  drink  of  water;  I  am 
so  hungry,  I  don't  know  where  to  sleep  to-night."  It  has  been 
high  tide  all  the  week  at  these  meetings,  and  they  have  been 
crowdipd  as  they  have  never  been  before.  He  never  expected 
on  earth  to  get  as  near  heaven  as  he  had  been  when  at  some  of 
these  meetings,  when  in  some  portions  of  the  house  young  men 
were  finding  the  Saviour,  others  weeping  over  their  sins,  others 
singing  joyous  songs  ;  and  such  was  the  spirit  of  the  hour  that, 
for  the  time  at  least,  we  were  all  Methodists.  It  was  imiDossible 
to  enter  into  details,  and,  indeed,  he  would  rather  not  mention 
names  or  special  cases  except  to  say  that  among  those  who  are 
coming  to  take  their  places  on  the  Lord's  side,  it  seemed  to  him 
that  we  have  the  promise  of  many  Moodys  and  Sankeys,  of  grand 
men  to  stand  in  the  front  and  preach  for  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
In  all  our  city  the  shining  host  of  heaven  last  night  did  not  look 
down  upon  a  more  beautiful  scene  than  when  between  four  and 
five  hundred  young  men  in  Dr.  McCook's  church  were  upon 
their  knees  consecrating  themselves  afresh  to  the  service  of  the 
Lord.  These  men,  so  far  as  he  had  observed,  were  new  recruits 
in  the  ranks  of  the  Master's  army.  The  most  beautiful  thing 
about  it  was  that  they  came  from  all  classes  of  society.  Some  of 
the  first  men  in  Philadelphia  are  nobly  confessing  Christ,  and  are 
ready  to  work  for  him.  He  believed  the  time  was  coming  again 
when,  like  Joseph,  Shadrack,  Meshech,  Abednego,  and  Daniel, 


730  MOODY   AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 

the  youDg  men  are  to  be  noble  witnesses  for  Christ.  May  God 
speed  the  day  when  every  yoimg  man  in  this  city  shall  feel  that 
it  is  the  greatest  privilege  and  highest  honor  to  be  on  the  side 
of  Christ  and  working  for  him. 


Interest  Culminates. 

Such  an  interest  in  any  matter  has  never  been  experienced, 
much  less  in  religious  affairs.  It  would  seem  from  the  crowds 
and  the  number  of  anxious  inquirers  that  the  Master's  cause  was 
being  taken  up  with  the  determination  to  carry  it  through  to  a 
final  and  complete  victory,  that  Satan  and  his  followers  are  to  be 
overcome,  and  that  truth  and  righteousness  are  to  triumph  over 
sin  and  iniquity.  Whatever  may  be  said  of  the  meetings,  one 
thing  is  certain,  that  an  amount  of  good  has  been  accomplished 
during  the  past  eight  weeks  that  is  beyond  all  calculation. 
Blasphemers  have  been  made  to  realize  the  extent  of  their  sins ; 
scoffers  have  been  turned  to  Christ;  drunkards  have  been  re- 
formed through  the  operations  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  those 
who  denied  the  existence  of  a  God  have  been  compelled  to  cry 
for  mercy  and  forgiveness.  Where  there  has  been  strife  there  is 
now  happiness ;  and  where  there  was  once  discord  there  is  now 
peace.  Families  have  been  united,  and  husbands  and  wives, 
once  estranged,  reconciled.  With  all  this  has  come  an  entire' 
dependence  upon  God,  and  but  for  the  Scriptural  teaching  of 
the  evangelist,  it  could  not  have  been  brought  about.  With  all 
these  evidences  of  the  power  of  God,  there  would  seem  to  be 
nothing  else  necessary  to  prove  the  necessity  of  accepting  the 
terms  of  the  Saviour.  No  happiness  can  be  obtained  outside  of 
Him,  and  he  acts  rashly  who  refuses  to  heed  the  warning  words 
of  those  who  are  holding  up  the  cross. 

Theirs  is  a  holy  work,  that  has  the  approval  of  all  good  men, 
and,  what  is  better  than  all,  the  blessings  of  the  Father.  Every 
man  or  woman  who  has  been  checked  while  on  the  downward 
path  of  destruction,  and  through  the  teaching  and  preaching  of 
the  evangelists  has  been  induced  to  look  in  faith  for  strength 


THE    WORK    IN    PHILADELPHIA. 


731 


to  a  Higher  Power,  has  reason  to  than1<  God  that  the  meetings 
were  inaugurated.  There  have  been  thousands  of  brands  rescued 
from  the  burning,  and  who  are  now  tasting  of  a  happiness  that 
hitherto  they  knew  nothing  of.  Arjything  that  brings  comfort  to 
the  sorrowing  heart  and  peace  to  a  family  must  be  of  God,  and 
those  who  are  the  instruments  by  whicii  it  is  brought  about  can- 
not but  be  His  servants.  For  all  the  good  that  has  been  done 
by  the  evangeh.sts  and  by  all  who  are  aiding  them  there  is  await- 
ing a  reward  in  heaven  far  richer  than  any  gift  that  could  be 
bestowed  by  men. 

So  great  was  the  desire  to  hear  that  the  Depot  was  filled  with 
upwards  of  twelve  thousand  persons,  and  the  doors  closed,  and 
before  twenty  minutes  from  this  time  there  were  seven  thousand 
persons  around  the  several  doors  of  the  building  striving  in  vain 
to  gain  admittance.  There  were  two  thousand  persons  forming 
an  excursion  party  from  Wilmington,  Del.,  and  Ghester,  Penn.,  a 
portion  of  whom  were  unable  to  get  within  the  building.  It  was 
with  much  difficulty  that  Mr.  Moody  himself  was  able  to  force 
his  way  through  the  crowd  that  thronged  the  door.  One  of  the 
doors  was  forced  open  and  a  number  of  persons  took  possession 
of  some  of  the  seats  reserved  in  front  for  the  unconverted. 

Among  the  distinguished  persons  on  the  platform  were  Hon. 
Judge  Paxson  (Supreme  Court  of  Pennsylvania),  Mr.  S.  Iwanager 
(Japanese  Commissioner)  and  friend,  Rev.  Wm.  Harmson  (Balti- 
more), Mr.  Potter  (President  National  Bank),  W.  Simes,  Esq., 
Mr.  Noblett  (President  Commercial  Exchange  Bank),  Hon.  Ho- 
ratio Gates  Jones  'State  Senator  of  Pennsylvania^,  Alex.  Brown 
(banker),  Rev.  Dr.  Aikman  (Detroit,  Michigan^. 

Before  commencing  his  discourse  Mr.  Moody  spoke  of  how 
unfairly  a  part  of  the  audience  had  acted  in  bursting  open  the 
door  and  taking  the  seats  reserved  for  the  unconverted.  Some 
of  those  people  who  had  taken  possession  of  those  seats  had 
been  occupying  them  for  the  past  two  weeks,  and  he  hoped  their 
consciences  would  trouble  them  so  they  would  not  sleep  to-night, 
and  then  they  would  not  break  the  door  open  to-morrow.  It 
might  not  be  right  to  make  these  remarks  'in  regard  to  all  who 


732  MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    AIMERICA. 

had  come  in  b}^  that  clod!",  but  those  whom,  the  coat  fitted  might 
put  it  on  and  button  it  up  tight. 

At  the  close  of  the  meeting  three  thousand  persons  went  into 
the  inquiry-rooms. 

Such  an  anxious  seeking  for  the  truth  has  never  been  wit- 
nessed, and  it  is  a  question  whether  the  same  amount  of  positive 
good  has  been  accomplished  anywhere  in  so  short  a  time.  What, 
apparently,  is  wanted  by  the  people  is  the  presentation  of  God's 
Word  in  the  same  simple  and  easily-to-be-understood  manner, 
as  has  been  the  case  the  past  few  weeks  by  the  evangelists.  The 
plan  of  salvation  and  the  promises  and  mercies  of  the  Father 
are  often  so  mysteriously  clouded,  that  people  do  not  really 
understand  what  is  required  of  them.  Then  again,  the  truth  is 
not  unfrequently  presented  in  such  an  uninviting  form  as  to  rather 
drive  away  than  attract  sinners.  The  plainer  it  is  stated  the  bet- 
ter, and  the  more  good  is  accomplished.  Messrs.  Moody  and 
Sankey  have  signally  succeeded  in  this  matter,  for  by  their 
preaching,  praying,  and  exhortation,  very  many  who  never 
opened  a  Bible  are  now  studying  the  sacred  volume  and  in  it 
are  finding  comfort  and  happiness.  It  may  be  said  with  a  great 
deal  of  truth  that  all  classes  have  been  benefited  by  the  special 
religious  services — ministers.  Christian  workers,  and  sinners. 
There  never  has  been  such  a  delightful  period  as  the  past  two 
months,  and  all  who  have  been  privileged  to  be  present  at  the 
Depot  during  the  sojourn  of  the  evangelists  in  this  city  will  look 
back  upon  the  period  with  great  pleasure,  for  they  have  witnessed 
wonderful  manifestations  of  the  Holy  Spirit  and  the  blessings 
of  the  labors  of  the  good  and  faithful  ambassadors  of  Christ. 

Mr.  Mood3''s  example  of  constant  speaking  reminds  us  of  the 
resolution  formed  by  Fox,  the  greatest  of  English  orators,  who, 
after  one  frilure  in  the  House  of  Commons,  determined  to  speak 
on  every  question,  and  so  rose  by  degrees  to  be  the  greatest 
debater  the  world  ever  saw.     Mr.  Moody  says  : 

When  I  began  my  Christian  course,  I  tried  to  work  in  the 
churches  in  Chicago,  and  I  was  told  that  I  had  better  not  speak. 
I  went  into  the  dark  ianes  and  got  meetings  together.    I  kept  my 


THE    WORK    IN    PHILADELPHIA.  733 

mouth  open,  I  did  not  let  the  church  close  it.  Confess  Christ  in 
season  and  out  of  season,  and  let  the  devil  and  the  world  talk  and 
throw  stones  at  you.  Your  reward  will  come  by  and  by.  Take 
a  bold  stand  for  Christ.  You  will  never  be  good  for  much  for 
God's  service  until  the  world  calls  you  crazy.  If  the  world  has 
nothing  to  say  against  you,  you  are  not  much  of  a  Christian. 

"  My  subject  is  'Instant  Salvation.'  What  is  that?  One  minute 
Noah  was  outside  of  the  ark,  and  the  next  he  was  in.  The  man, 
Christ  Jesus,  is  the  ark,  and  the  moment  you  step  in  you're  saved. 
A  man  came  to  me  at  a  Manchester  meeting,  and  said  that  it 
was  his  feelings  that  kept  him  from  believing.  Said  I,  was  it 
Noah's  feelings  that  saved  him  in  the  ark,  or  was  it  the  ark  ?  'Ah, 
I  see  it  I '  he  exclaimed;  *  I've  got  to  make  a  train.  Good-by,' 
and  he  was  off.  He  afterward  became  one  of  the  best  workers 
in  that  town.  One  instant  Lot  stood  inside  of  Sodom,  and  in  the 
next  he  was  outside — don't  you  see  ?  That's  instant  salvation. 
The  blood  of  the  paschal  lamb  is  placed  on  the  door-posts  in  a 
second,  and  the  Hebrews  are  safe  from  the  destroying  angel." 
Mr.  Moody  made  another  point  in  the  six  cities  of  Joshua  on  the 
banks  of  the  Jordan,  and  once  within  the  walls  of  which  a  mur- 
derer was  safe  from  the  avenging  pursuit  of  the  murdered  man's 
relatives.  In  imitating  the  actions  of  a  man  striking  the  bloody 
blow,  mounting  his  horse,  rushing  at  breakneck  speed  over  the 
hills  and  through  the  valleys,  and  at  last  springing  into  the  city 
of  safety,  from  which  he  turns  a  look  of  defiance  back  at  his  baf- 
fled pursuer,  Mr.  Moody  made  quite  a  lively  place  of  the  pulpit, 
and  as  he  shouted  until  he  became  hoarse,  his  dramatic  display 
was  very  attractive.  "As  soon  as  we  get  into  the  city,  we  may 
stop  running — we're  free.  When  the  black  man  in  our  country 
was  in  slavery,  he  always  kept  looking  toward  the  north  star ;  he 
knew  there  was  no  use  in  going  into  Pennsylvania  or  New  York, 
for  he'd  be  brought  back;  but  he  looked  farther— across  the 
Canadian  boundar}^,  where  he  beheld  waving  a  flag  under  which 
no  bondsmen  breathed.  He  is  pursued,  he  flees,  crosses  the  line 
— is  one  instant  a  slave,  and  the  next  he  stands  under  the  Union 
Jack  a  free  man.     The  Queen's  soldier  is  enlisted  by  simply  hav- 


734  MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 

ing  a  British  shilling  placed  in  the  palm  of  his  hand — made  a 
soldier  in  an  instant.  Do  you  want  to  know  when  you're  a  Chris- 
tian? It's  when  you've  got  the  British  shilling.  Is  there  one 
here  to-night  who  will  cross  the  line  and  be  free  ? "  [Voice, 
"  Yes."]  "  Thank  God — any  more  ? "  he  inquired.  [Voice,  "Yes."] 
"  Praise  the  Lord  !  Who  else  will  come  to  Christ  ?  "  A  lady 
arose  to  her  feet  and  said,  "  I  will."  "  Let  us  pray,"  said  Mr. 
Moody,  "and  let  all  who  want  our  prayers  arise.  Now,  don't 
look  around  to  see  who  else  is  rising."  The  intercession  for 
the  penitents  being  ended,  there  was  a  general  chorus  of  the 
hymn,  "  Come  to  Jesus,"  and  the  multitude  dispersed. 

At  the  great  Christian  convention  which  assem.bled  on  the 
19th  and  20th  of  January,  Mr.  Moody  said  he  had  received  a 
great  many  letters  from  ministers  and  others  asking  him  how  to 
get  up  these  meetings,  and  how  to  conduct  them.  If  you  can 
get  two  or  three  ministers  and  congregations  agreed  in  a  town  of 
five  thousand  inhabitants,  let  your  meeting  be  appointed  and 
have  it  advertised ;  and  when  the  meeting  is  organized,  do  not 
change  the  speakers  each  night  to  please  the  different  denomina- 
tions, but  let  one  man  speak  each  night  for  at  least  one  week, 
and  then  the  people  become  acquainted  with  his  way  of  present- 
ing the  Gospel  to  them.  Let  the  meetings  be  short.  Send  the 
people  away  hungry,  and  they  will  come  back  again.  Look  well 
after  the  ventilation,  and  have  good,  lively  singing.  Have  godly 
men  and  women  to  sing  from  the  heart,  and  sing  new  pieces 
once  in  a  while.  The  songs  .of  John  Wesley  went  further  than 
his  sermons. 

There  is  no  general  rule  as  to  how  to  pull  the  net  and  gather 
in  the  harvest  of  souls.  There  are  various  ways,  such  as  getting 
them  to  go  into  the  inquiry-room,  or  to  rise  for  prayer.  One  way 
to  find  out  who  want  to  become  Christians  is  to  get  them  to  do 
something  they  do  not  want  to  do.  At  a  union  meeting  do  not 
speak  on  controverted  subjects  if  they  are  not  cardinal  points ; 
but  if  they  are,  we  must  take  a  firm  stand.  At  these  meetings 
all  denominations  have  given  up  something.  The  Quakers  have 
given  up  something,  and  so  have  the  Methodists.     Dr.  Hatfield 


THE    WORK    IN    PHILADELPHIA.  735 

has  not  shouted  once  since  he  has  been  here.  [Laughter.]  The 
object  of  these  union  meetings  is  to  proclaim  the  Gospel. 

Mr.  Moody  expressed  himself  ready  to  answer  any  questions 
that  might  be  asked,  and  these  several  questions  were  asked  by 
the  audience  : 

Q.  If  a  meeting  is  to  last  one  hour  and  ten  minutes,  how  long 
should  the  sermon  be  .-* 

A.  From  thirty  to  forty  minutes.  A  good  many  people,  by  a 
long  sermon,  receive  impressions  and  lose  them  again  before  the 
sermon  is  concluded. 

Q.  What  ought  to  be  the  character  of  the  prayers  ? 

A.  Special  meetings  ought  to  have  special  prayers.  Regular 
church  services  pray  for  everything  in  generah  This  is  right ; 
but  when  we  have  special  services  we  do  not  want  the  prayers 
offered  for  our  rulers,  but  for  the  souls  that  are  present. 

Q.  Where  would  you  have  the  meeting  held  in  a  small  town  ? 

A.  In  one  of  the  churches,  if  there  was  no  sectarian  feeling ; 
but  if  there  is  a  spirit  among  the  churches  to  bring  converts  to 
their  particular  churches,  then  go  into  some  public  hall. 

Q.  In  villages  where  there  are  several  churches,  and  the  church- 
goers are  cold,  and  you  cannot  make  an  impression  on  their  hearts, 
how  would  you  act .'' 

A.  Go  on  with  the  regular  services,  but  have  a  special  service 
to  wake  them  up.  These  special  services  are  something  out  of 
the  regular  course  and  it  sets  people  to  thinking. 

A  gentleman  in  the  audience  requested  Mr.  Moody  to  repeat 
the  questions  before  answering  them,  as  the  congregation  could 
not  hear  them. 

Mr.  Moody  said  he  could  not  hear  some  of  them  himself. 
[Laughter.] 

The  meeting  for  the  hour  closed  with  singing  "  Come  Thou 
Fount  of  every  blessing."  The  doors  were  opened  to  allow  the 
departure  of  some,  and  the  admission  of  others  to  the  eleven 
o'clock  meeting,  the  subject  of  which  was  "  How  to  conduct 
prayer-meetings." 

Rev.  Allison  Henry,  of  Philadelphia,  made  the  opening  prayer. 


'j;^6  MOODY    AND   SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 

Mr.  Moody  gave  his  ideas  of  how  pra3^er-meetings  ought  to  be 
conducted.  There  should  be  no  formality.  If  the  people  will 
not  come  up  and  take  the  front  seats,  the  minister  should  go  down 
among  them  and  take  the  stiffness  from  the  meeting.  The  secret 
of  the  minister's  success  is  to  get  others  to  work.  People  who 
take  part  in  your  prayer-meetings  are  the  ones  that  don't  find 
fault;  but  when  they  don't  work  they  will  find  fault.  In  Chicago 
we  have  nineteen  meetings  a  week,  and  there  is  no  time  to  go  to 
theatres,  if  there  is  any  wish  to  go.  The  prayer-meetings  should 
be  open  if  you  want  to  make  them  interesting. 

Q.  Do  you  think  prayer-meetings  are  better  than  a  Wednesday 
evening  lecture  ? 

A.  I  pity  the  church  where  the  minister  has  no  prayer-meeting; 
I  do  not  advocate  giving  up  prayer-meetings  for  lectures. 

Q.  Should  women  and  children  be  encouraged  to  speak  in  our 
prayer-meetings  ? 

A.  That  is  a  controverted  point.  The  Presbyterians  say 
women  should  be  silent. 

Q.  Is  it  best  to  have  laymen  lead  the  prayer-meeting? 

A.  I  think  when  a  minister  has  been  leading  a  pra37er-meeting 
for  fifty  years  it  gets  into  a  groove,  and  it  would  be  an  advantage 
to  have  an  elder  lead  the  meeting;  then,  in  the  case  of  a  vaca- 
tion, the  prayer-meeting  would  not  be  closed. 

Q.  How  is  a  spirit  of  prayer  to  be  developed  in  a  meeting  ? 

A.  It  better  be  commenced  in  the  classes. 

Q.  If  there  are  members  who  cannot  pray  or  speak,  and  yet 
are  good,  conscientious  members  of  the  church,  ought  they  to  be 
encouraged  to  speak  or  pray  ? 

A.  That  is  an  important  question.  When  I  was  converted,  I 
got  up  in  a  good  many  prayer-meetings  to  speak  for  Christ.  I 
had  zeal  without  knowledge.  A  minister  took  me  one  side ;  he 
colored  up,  and  I  knew  something  was  coming.  He  hesitated 
and  then  he  hung  his  head.  I  said,  "Say  on."  He  said,  "  I 
have  no  doubt  but  that  the  Lord  has  converted  you,  but — ah,  ah, 
^-ah,  don't  you  think  you  would  serve  the  Lord  by  keeping 
silent?"     [Laughter.]     The  man  v;as  honest,  and  if  I  had  been 


THE    WORK    IN    PHILADELPHIA.  737 

in  his  place  I  might  have  given  the  same  advice.  He  should 
have  told  me  there  was  some  work  I  could  do.  I  was  two  years 
in  finding  it  out,  and  then  I  went  into  the  lanes  and  went  to 
among  the  ragged  boys. 

Q.  Don't  you  think  it  would  be  a  failure  in  a  prayer-meeting 
if  there  was  no  effort  made  to  bring  unconverted  men  to  Christ  ? 

A.  There  should  be  an  effort  made,  but  it  is  sometimes  best 
done  by  believers  giving  an  account  of  the  joy  they  experience 
in  believing,  instead  of  exhorting. 


How  TO  Get  Hold  of  the  Non-Church-Goers. 

On  this  subject  Mr.  Moody  spoke  as  follows : 

I  want  to  say  a  few  words  on  this  question  if  you  will  allotv 
me.  We  have  had  in  our  city  (Chicago),  for  a  number  of  years, 
what  we  call  a  "Yoke  Fellow's  Band."  They  meet  every  Sunday 
night,  say  at  six  o'clock.  We  furnish  them  with  tea.  This 
doesn't  cost  much,  only  about  fifteen  cents  a  head ;  and  after 
they  have  drank  their  tea,  and  prayed  together,  they  start  out  to 
find  recruits  and  bring  them  to  the  church.  I  have  not  known 
for  years  what  it  is  to  preach  to  empty  seats ;  long  before  I  had 
any  reputation  to  draw  folks  we  always  used  to  have  our  church 
full.  Many  churches  around  us  that  had  men  with  great  names 
to  draw  a  congregation,  very  often  during  the  Summer  season 
were  only  quarter  full,  or  half  full,  but  for  the  twelve  months  of 
the  year  our  church  would  be  full.  It  was  these  young  fellows 
who  brought  them  there.  These  men  who  bring  in  the  recruits 
off  of  the  street,  found  probably  in  some  dark  saloon,  and  brought 
in,  will  be  anxious  that  you  should  preach  well,  and  if  the  minis- 
ter sees  that  his  helpers  are  anxious  that  he  should  make  an 
impression  upon  his  hearers,  he  will  preach  all  the  better  for  it. 

There  are  hundreds  and  thousands  of  young  men  in  this 
country  who  want  to  work  in  the  church,  but  they  don't  know 
how.  They  want  some  one  to  set  them  to  work.  The  way  we 
do  in  our  meetings  is  this :  We  have  two  men  generally  go  to- 


738  MOODV    AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 

gellier  ;  we  put  ibcm  on  the  corners  of  the  great  thoroughfare, 
or  we  give  them  so  many  saloons,  and  billiard-halls,  and  hotels 
to  look  after.  Every  saloon  within  a  mile  of  that  place  of  w'or- 
ship  is  visited.  Many  a  time  I  have  gone  into  these  saloons  and 
asked  men  to  come  and  hear  me  preach.  I  know  that  isn't  a 
very  proper  thing  for  a  preacher  to  do,  but  it's  a  good  deal  better 
than  preaching  to  emjDty  seats.  Some  of  our  brethren  said  they 
didn't  like  to  do  it ;  I  said  there  were  a  great  many  things  we 
didn't  like  to  do.  If  we  make  up  our  minds  to  it,  we  can  get 
people  to  the  preaching.  If  we  roll  up  our  sleeves,  they  w^ill 
come.  Then  in  the  summer  season  never  mind  the  church, 
leave  it  to  the  owls  and  bats ;  if  the  people  won't  come  to  the 
church,  go  out  on  the  first  street  corner  you  come  to  and  preach, 
or  go  to  the  court-house  square,  or  the  park  ;  anywhere,  to  get  at 
the  people.  And  then  when  you  get  the  people,  have  good  sing- 
ing. And  remember  when  you  sing  that  what  the  people  want  is 
the  words.  The  words,  not  the  music,  reach  the  soul  and  convert 
the  man.  And  then  shake  hands  with  every  one  who  comes. 
Instead  of  staying  in  the  pulpit  to  pronounce  the  benediction,  I 
used  to  go  right  down  to  the  door  while  they  sang  the  last  hymn, 
then  I'd  get  them  as  they  passed  out.  Let  the  benediction  go, 
but  shake  hands  with  them.  And  we  must  have  plainer  churches. 
And  they  must  not  have  mortgages  upon  them.  If  we  are  all  the 
time  stciggering  under  a  big  debt,  we  must  be  after  the  money  of 
the  people,  and  that  will  soon  drive  them  off.  When  they  won't 
come  to  the  church,  or,  as  many  can't  come-^mothers,  washer- 
women, people  with  nothing  to  wear — why,  go  to  them.  Ask 
permission  to  go  dowm  to  their  rooms  and  hold  a  cottage  prayer- 
meeting.  Let  them  call  in  their  neighbors.  That  commits  these 
people  to  your  side ;  they  are  then  known  to  favor  religious 
meetings,  and  good  is  done  in  that  way.  Don't  arrange  it  so  as 
to  keep  the  hymn-books  in  the  church  all  the  time.  Let  the 
people  carry  the  books  home,  then  they'll  sing  of  Jesus  while  at 
their  home  work. 

In  answer  to  question.  What  was  the  secret  of  your  success  in 
Chicago  ?  Mr.  Moody  said  :  The  only  way  I  got  along  in  Chicago 


THE    WORK    IN    PHILADELPHIA.  739 

was  by  going  to  preach  to  the  people  if  they  would  not  come  and 
hear  me. 


A  Farewell  Not  Final. 

At  the  close  of  the  course  of  meetings  in  Philadelphia,  the 
Evangelists  were  greeted  in  the  Old  Depot  by  an  immense  au- 
dience, from  which  thousands  were  excluded  by  lack  of  room, 
who  had  come  to  manifest  their  interest  in  the  mighty  work  and 
its  chief  promoters.  Deep  solemnity  rested  on  the  vast  assem- 
blage, and  many  hearts  were  saddened  by  the  prospect  of  the 
departure  of  the  men  who  had  won  them  to  Christ,  or  stimulated 
and  instructed  them  as  Christian  workers. 

Mr.  Moody,  after  making  the  announcements  for  the  meetings 
to  follow,  said  that  the  expenses  of  the  meetings  had  been  paid, 
but  that  this  evening  he  would,  on  his  own  responsibility,  ask  for 
a  thank-offering  with  which  to  finish  and  pay  for  the  building  now 
in  course  of  construction  for  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Associ- 
ation. He  said  that  he  desired  it  also  to  be  distinctly  understood 
that  they  [Moody  and  Sankey]  were  receiving  no  money  from  the 
committee,  and  declined  to  have  any  collections  taken  up  in  the 
meetings.  As  to  the  photographs,  they  had  no  interest  in  them, 
and  for  eight  years  he  had  refused  to  have  any  taken.  If  any 
one  had  purchased  a  copy  and  felt  cheated,  he  did  not  pity  him. 
It  is  true  that  there  is  a  royalty  upon  the  hymn-books,  which  is 
paid  over  to  a  committee,  consisting  of  Mr.  George  H.  Stuart  of 
this  city,  William  E.  Dodge  of  New  York,  and  Mr.  Farwell  of 
Chicago.  He  did  not  know  how  much  had  been  realized  upon 
the  sale  of  the  books  in  this  city,  but  in  order  to  satisfy  any  one 
that  no  money  has  been  made  out  of  the  meetings,  the  committee 
would  give  one  thousand  dollars  as  a  thank-offering  for  the  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association's  Hall.  He  trusted  that  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  thousand  dollars  wonld  be  subscribed. 

He  read  the  following  letter: 

Dear  Mr.  Moody  : — Through  the  instrumentality  of  the  blessed 
meetings  now  closing,  my  darling  son,  a  prodigal,  and  his  wife  are 


740  MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 

now  resting  in  a  Saviour's  love.  The  accompanying  ring,  the 
gift  of  one  dearly  loved,  and  so  long  worn  it  seems  a  part  of 
myself,  I  now  offer  to  my  dear  Lord  and  Master  as  a  thank- 
offering  for  His  unspeakable  blessing.  Do  with  it  as  the  Holy 
Spirit  directs.  Please  join  with  me  in  prayer  that  my  son  may  be 
consecrated  to  God,  and  be  the  means  of  leading  many  to  Christ. 

He  said :  Enclosed  I  found  a  diamond  ring  with  eight  dia- 
monds. One  man  said  he  would  give  $500  for  it.  If  any  will 
give  more  he  can  have  it,  but  if  not  the  ring  will  be  sold  for  $500 
and  the  money  be  given  to  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  Let  us  now  go  to 
work  and  praise  God  by  giving  $280,000  for  this  object. 

The  ushers  then  began  to  take  the  collection  up,  and  almost 
immediately  Mr.  Moody  announced  that  three  persons  had  given 
$70,000,  and  shortly  after  that  another  person  had  given  $10,000 
more,  and  that  the  diamond  ring  had  been  sold  for  $1,000. 

About  $100,000  were  speedily  raised,  a  short  sermon  was 
preached,  and  then  Mr.  Moody  spoke  of  his  past  nine  weeks' 
labor  as  most  precious  weeks  to  him  ;  but  one  cloud  crossed  his 
path,  and  that  was  that  he  was  now  to  take  his  leave  of  them. 
He  wanted  to  thank  the  people  for  their  attention,  and  he  wanted 
their  prayers  for  the  success  of  the  work  in  the  metropolis  of  the 
country.  He  thanked  the  ministers  of  Philadelphia  for  their  sup- 
port and  sympathy.  He  also  thanked  the  ushers,  choir  and  re- 
porters, and  invoked  the  blessing  of  heaven  upon  them.  20,000 
copies  of  his  little  book  for  the  unconverted  would  soon  be 
ready,  and  copies  would  be  sent  to  those  who  are  not  Christians 
if  they  sent  their  names. 

Finally,  he  said :  We  love  you,  and  we  want  your  prayers  as 
we  go  to  New  York.  He  then  prayed  most  earnestly  for  all  the 
young  converts,  that  they  may  be  kept  true  to  the  faith. 

After  singing  "  Blest  be  the  tie  that  binds,"  the  happy  throng 
dispersed. 

The  Last  Farewell. 

After  a  brief  absence  from  the  city,  the  Evangelists  returned 
Feb.  4th,  to  bid  a  last  farew&ll  to  the  thousands  who  had  learned 


THE    WCRK    IN    PHILADELPHIA.  74I 

to  follow  them  as  the  multitudes  once  followed  the  Master.  The 
Depot-Tabernacle  was  packed  to  repletion  with  an  eager  multi- 
tude, many  of  whom  were  better  content  with  a  few  square  inches 
on  which  to  stand,  where  the  words  of  the  Evangelists  could  be 
heard,  than  with  all  the  pleasures  of  the  great  world  beckoning 
from  the  outside.  On  the  stage  were  almost  all  the  clergymen 
who  have  taken  an  active  interest  in  the  movement. 
Mr.  Sankey,  by  request,  sang  the  beautiful  hymn, 

Sowing  the  seed  by  the  daylight  fair. 

The  stanzas  were  sung  as  a  solo  by  Mr.  Sankey,  the  choir 
joining  in  the  chorus  with  much  spirit  and  expression.  The 
chorus  of  the  last  verse  was  sung  so  softly  as  to  give  the  sweet 
effect  of  a  distant  choir  of  angel  choristers.  At  the  conclusion  of 
the  hymn  Mr.  Moody  arose,  and  calling  attention  to  the  fact 
that  at  the  last  meeting  a  collection  was  taken  up  for  the  benefit 
of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  building,  said  that  it 
was  necessary  to  raise  about  $280,000,  and  at  the  last  meeting 
only  $120,000  had  been  subscribed.  It  might  be  supposed  that 
this  was  a  good  deal  to  spend  on  a  building,  yet  many  citizens 
had  private  houses  worth  far  more  in  actual  value,  and  only  one 
family  could  reap  the  benefits.  But  this  building  was  to  be  a 
home  for  thousands  of  young  men  who  might  otherwise  be  led 
astray  by  the  brilliant  palaces  of  crime  which  Satan  was  coh- 
stantly  rearing  for  the  ruin  of  the  young.  If  it  was  desirable  to 
redeem  young  men  it  was  necessary  to  go  where  they  would 
naturally  congregate,  and  this  association,  if  provided  with  con- 
venient and  pleasant  quarters,  would  attract  the  young  of  all 
classes,  and  there  the  workers  for  Christ  could  labor.  Continu- 
ing, he  spoke  of  the  advantages  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association  in  other  cities,  showing  that  in  Cleveland  especially 
the  results  were  beyond  calculation.  Every  young  man,  when 
converted,  became  a  Christian  worker,  and  was  it  not  better  to 
have  one,  or  two,  or  three  thousand  young  men  voluntarily  work- 
ing for  God  than  letting  the  young  wander  in  any  direction,  while 
a  few  hundred  paid  missionaries  were  vainly  striving  to  stem  the 


742  MOODY    AND    SANKEY    IN    AMERICA. 

tide  of  sin?  He  then  told  an  affecting  story  of  a  boy  who  was 
taken  by  his  father  from  his  Scothind  home,  and  lost  in  the  streets 
of  Chicago  while  the  father  was  on  a  drunken  spree.  The  boy 
became  a  street  gamin,  and  grew  up  surrounded  by  the  worst 
influences.  Time  passed  on,  and  at  length,  through  the  Young 
JNIen's  Christian  Association,  the  youth  was  saved.  Then,  as  the 
love  of  the  Saviour  pervaded  his  heart,  the  memories  of  boyhood 
returned,  and  he  was  seized  with  an  irresistible  longing  to  gaze 
once  more  on  the  face  of  the  mother  so  long  lost.  He  wrote 
again  and  again  to  many  different  addresses,  but  the  letters  were 
all  returned.  Almost  despairing,  he  threw  himself  on  his  knees, 
and  in  anguish  called  on  God  to  help  him.  As  he  prayed,  the 
memory  of  a  long-forgotten  village  came  to  his  brain,  and  he 
seemed  to  hear  some  spirit  whisper  that  there  he  could  find  a 
letter  awaiting  him.  He  wrote,  and  received  the  letter  which 
his  mother  had  written  to  him  seven  years  before.  With  this  as 
a  guide  he  found  the  mother,  so  long  lost,  waiting  in  submission 
to  God's  will  for  the  return  of  her  son,  and  when  that  son  not 
only  returned,  but  she  folded  to  her  arms  a  Christian,  her  heart 
overflowed  with  joy,  and  that  one  moment  repaid  for  all  the  long 
years  of  hopeless  longing.  "Was  not  the  saving  of  this  young 
man,"  asked  Mr.  Moody,  "worth  all  the  money  that  could  be 
spent  on  any  building .?  Did  not  that  mother's  tears  bestow  a 
double  blessing  on  every  giver  and  every  worker  in  Christ  ? " 
Mr.  Moody  concluded  by  beseeching  those  present  to  each  do 
their  share  towards  forwarding  the  blessed  work  of  the  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association  by  aiding  in  the  erection  of  a  long- 
needed  building.  While  the  ushers  were  passing  through  the 
congregation  with  the  contribution  baskets  Mr.  Sankey  sweetly 
sang  a  new  solo,  after  which  Mr.  Moody  made  a  fervent  prayer 
for  the  blessing  of  God  on  the  work  already  done,  and  asking  that 
on  the  golden  shore  of  the  Be3'ond  all  who  had  found  Christ 
might  clasp  hands  without  missing  the  face  of  one  lost  brother. 
The  82d  hymn, 

Only  an  armor-bearer  proudl}^  I  stand, 
Waiting  to  follow  the  King's  command, 


THE    WORK    IN    PHILADELPHIA.  743 

was  next  sung  by  Mr.  Sankey,  the  choir  joining  heartily  in  the 
chorus.  At  the  conclusion  of  the  second  verse  the  entire  con- 
gregation of  twelve  thousand  persons  rose  to  their  feet"  and 
Dlended  their  voices  with  those  of  the  choir. 

Mr.  Moody  next  arose  and  said:  "I  want  to  call  your  atten- 
tion to  one  little  word  in  the  fourth  verse  of  the  fourteenth  chap- 
ter of  Romans.  That  little  word  is  able,  God  is  able  to  hold 
you,  and  will  hold  you  up  if  you  have  faith  in  His  power,  and  are 
not  self-confident.  There  are  three  enemies  which  every  young 
convert  has — the  flesh,  the  world,  and  the  devil.  Don't  think  you 
have  got  rid  of  them.  Not  only  do  the  young  fall,  but  some  of 
the  most  eminent  men  have  fallen  after  years  of  walking  in  the 
right  path.  Don't  think  you  are  to  be  wafted  into  heaven  without 
any  effort.  You  have  got  to  fight — it  is  a  conflict.  But  how 
sweet  is  the  thought  that  God  is  able  to  make  us  stand.  But  you 
must  let  God  keep  hold  of  you.  It  is  a  great  deal  better  to  have 
God  take  hold  of  you  than  for  you  to  try  to  take  hold  of  God  for 
safety,  while  confident  not  only  that  you  can  stand  alone,  but  can, 
if  necessary,  retain  your  grasp.  Every  Christian's  life  should  be 
like  that  of  the  orange  tree.  In  Florida  I  saw  these  trees  grow- 
ing in  dry  sand,  and  when  I  asked  how  they  lived,  I  was  told 
that  every  tree  Ii^d  a  top  root  which  went  right  dow^n  until  it 
struck  water.  We,  too,  must  find  a  fount  so  pure  and  revivifying 
that  no  surroundings  can  injure  our  spiritual  growth.  Now,  I 
want  to  call  your  attention  to  the  second  chapter  of  Hebrews,  the 
eighteenth  verse.  It  is  temptation  that  brings  out  the  character. 
We  don't  want  to  be  like  hot-house  plants.  We  must  learn  to 
overcome  temptations.  Our  Saviour  has  been  tempted,  and  He 
knows  how  to  succor  them  that  are  tempted.  If  you  are  over- 
taken in  a  fault,  570ung  friends,  don't  be  discouraged  ;  go  right  to 
Christ  in  your  time  of  trouble  and  tell  it  right  out.  You  will  find 
forgiveness  and  loving  aid.  Now  look  at  the  first  chapter  of 
Paul,  Second  Epistle  to  Timothy.  A  great  many  predict  that 
these  young  converts  will  fall  away.  Perhaps  some  will.  The 
parable  of  the  sower  is  as  true  to-day  as  it  was  when  Christ  first 
spoke  it.     But  if  some   seeds   have  fallen  on   stony  ground  or 


744 


MOODY    AND    SAN  KEY    IN    AMERICA. 


among  thorns,  is  it  any  sign  that  God  is  not  able  to  keep  what  has 
been  committed  to  Him?  He  is  able  to  grant  all  our  wants  and 
to  aid  us  under  all  circumstances.  You  may  tremble  when  you 
look  into  your  own  heart,  but  you  can't  tremble  when  you  look 
towards  God.  The  Bank  of  England  is  protected  by  soldiers, 
who  march  around  it  all  night  long ;  so  the  moment  your  eyes  are 
closed  in  sleep,  God's  angels  are  guarding  you.  Now,  what  I  par- 
ticularly want  to  say  to  young  converts  is  to  become  united  to 
some  church.  If  you  have  got  your  arm  around  the  cross,  don't 
go  to  sleep  there,  forgetful  of  all  others,  but  while  clinging  with 
one  hand,  reach  with  the  other  down  into  the  water  and  help  to 
save  some  one  else  who  is  struggling  in  the  waves.  One  danger 
which  young  converts  always  meet  is  found  in  spiritual  pride, 
which  the  devil  instils  into  their  hearts.  Another  danger  is  the 
possibility  of  becoming  lukewarm  and  losing  all  pride  in  the  work 
of  God.  Let  '  Word  and  Work '  be  our  watchword.  If  you 
neglect  either  the  one  or  the  other  you  \von't  be  successful.  But 
he  who  holds  the  word  in  one  hand  and  works  with  the  other 
must  advance  nearer  and  nearer  to  the  Throne."  In  closing,  he 
said  :  *'  I  hate  to  say  farewell.  I  hate  to  leave  you.  The  hardest 
part  of  .our  work  is  when  we  have  to  say  farewell  to  those  we  have 
prayed  with  and  wept  with.  Let  us  pray  th^g  God  may  lift  us 
higher  and  higher.  May  God  bless  you ;  may  God  keep  you. 
Keep  close  to  the  Saviour ;  try  to  follow  Him  closer  and  closer 
every  day.  I  don't  like  the  word  farewell.  I'll  bid  you  good- 
night, and  by  the  grace  of  God  I  want  to  meet  you  in  the  morn- 
ing where  night  can  never  come  and  farewells  are  never  needed." 
As  Mr.  Moody  ceased,  Mr.  Sankey  touched  a  few  familiar  notes 
on  the  organ,  and  in  the  next  moment  began  in  a  trembling  voice 
a  farewell  hymn  set  to  the  tune  of  "  Home,  Sweet  Home."  The 
scene  was  an  affecting  one,  and  many  were  the  glistening  eyes 
among  the  thousands  who  seemed  to  have  forgotten  that  the 
evangelists  were  ever  to  depart.  A  few  moments  were  next 
spent  in  silent  prayer,  after  which  the  congregation  and  choir 
sang  in  unison  "  The  Sweet  Bye  and  Bye,"  filling  the  vast  audi- 
torium with  floods"  of  musical  sound.  The  benediction  was  then 
pronounced,  and  the  audience  gradually  dispersed. 


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